Western Sydney Wanderers have signed German defender Patrick Ziegler for the next three A-League seasons.
The 28-year-old has played more than 130 matches across the top two divisions of the Bundesliga, including stints at Kaiserslautern, Unterhaching and Paderborn.
The centre-back says the Wanderers' German coach Markus Babbel lured him to Australia for his first overseas playing stint.
"We had several nice phone conversations where he told me a lot about the club, my new teammates but also about the country, the culture and the lifestyle," Ziegler said in a statement on Wednesday.
"I like the playing style he wants to play with the team."
Ziegler's Kaiserslautern dropped to the German third division, prompting his decision to leave.
"I'm very excited to be part of this great club and a start a new chapter of my career in Australia," said Ziegler.
Ziegler, who played one season of top-flight Bundesliga with Paderborn in 2014-15, will soon join his Wanderers teammates, who last week started preseason under new coach Babbel, a 51-time German international.
