Kerala Blasters sign Uruguayan midfielder Adrian Luna

The 29-year-old made 24 appearances for Melbourne City in Australia last season, notching three goals and four assists.

Indian Super League (ISL) outfit Kerala Blasters have completed the signing of midfielder Adrian Luna, the club has announced. The 29-year-old comes to India with the prior experience of playing in another AFC member nation in Australia, where he represented A-League outfit Melbourne City in the past two seasons.

The Yellow Army announced their new signing at the stroke of the midnight hour on Thursday. They also revealed that Luna has put pen to paper on a two-year deal that will see him remain at the club till the end of the 2022-23 season.

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Player profile

Luna began his career as a footballer at the youth academies of Club Atletico Progreso, Montevideo Wanderers and Defensor Sporting in Uruguay. He was eventually promoted to Defensor's U-19 and first team in 2010. Loan stints at Spanish clubs Espanyol, Gimnastic and CE Sabadell followed for the midfielder, who then returned to Defensor in 2013.

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He stayed at the Uruguayan club for another two seasons, before moving to Mexico where he represented Tiburones Rojos and Venados FC. In July 2019, Luna signed for Australian outfit Melbourne City, playing 51 games till last season.

A former Uruguay U-17 and U-20 international, the 29-year-old has made 19 appearances for his national team across both age groups. He played in the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2009 and the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2011, scoring a goal each in both tournaments. In a club career spanning over 11 years, the attacking midfielder has made 336 appearances for all clubs, scoring 47 times along with providing 46 assists.

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Interestingly, Luna had played with former FC Goa and Chennaiyin FC star Manuel Lanzarote in CE Sabadell back in 2012. He was also teammates with former NorthEast United's Simao Sabrosa in 2013 at Espanyol. At Espanyol, he joined as a replacement for former Delhi Dynamos and ATK star Kalu Uche.

His next assignment will be at Kerala Blasters, who finished at a disappointing 10th place on the points' table last season. Adrian Luna is the club's first overseas signing after new head coach Ivan Vukomanovic took over earlier in June.

Words from club and player

"Adrian Luna is a player with great calibre, and I am sure that this will make our team stronger. Apart from being a good playmaker and smart operator in tight spaces, I liked that he is a hardworking player who always cares about team performance. So, I would like to welcome Luna to join the Kerala Blasters family," said Karolis Skinkys, Kerala Blasters' Sporting Director.

Meanwhile, Luna commented: “Very happy to join Kerala Blasters, the great family with the best fans in the country without a doubt. I am looking forward to training and meeting my teammates and all the technical staff.”

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Kerala Blasters' pre-season preparations

On Wednesday, the club announced that they will begin their pre-season camp on June 30 in Kochi. They also announced a 29-men squad of players who will take part in the camp, with Luna set to be added to it in the coming days.

So far, the Yellow Army have signed Sanjeev Stalin, Ruivah Hormipam, Vincy Barretto and Harmanjot Khabra, apart from providing contract extensions to Denechandra Meitei and Sandeep Singh. Luna's announcement indicates that more new signings and contract extensions will follow in the coming weeks.

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