Official: NorthEast United sign Portuguese winger Luis Machado

The 27-year-old has previously plied his trade for several clubs in his native country.

Indian Super League (ISL) outfit NorthEast United have completed the signing of the Portuguese winger Luis Machado. the club announced on Saturday.

Machado started his football career at USC Paredes, a club that plays in Liga Pro -- the Portuguese second division. He joined them as a youth player and rose through the ranks, eventually becoming a part of their U-19 team in 2008. Two years later, he joined SC Freamunde and played for them till 2014, when CD Tondela came calling. Tondela were crowned champions of Liga Pro the following season and he was an integral part of their squad during that campaign.

In January 2016, the winger joined Feirense and played for them till the 2019-20 season, when Moreirense signed him on a free transfer. Having made over 200 appearances for various clubs, Luis Machado now looks all set to create an impact in the ISL with NorthEast United.

The Highlanders finished at a lowly ninth spot in the 2019-20 season of the ISL, with just two wins and eight draws (14 points) from 18 matches). Recently, they also confirmed the signing of Mauritanian Khassa Camara, a news that was first reported by Khel Now. In addition, the contract extension of Federico Gallego was also announced last week.

The Highlanders have more or less been quiet in the ongoing transfer window. Previously, they had confirmed that five players from the existing squad will be staying for the upcoming campaign. Those players are Rakesh Pradhan, Subhasish Roy Chowdhury, Lalengmawia, Ninthoinganba Meetei and Wayne Vaz. More signings and contract extensions are set to follow at the club, as they look to put an end to their poor run of form under new head coach Gerard Nus.