Ferreira relishes Sydney soccer homecoming
For Fabio Ferreira, signing with Sydney FC represents something of a homecoming.
The Portuguese winger's career is one of the more worldly, having traversed the footballing landscapes of Sporting Lisbon, Chelsea, Adelaide United, Central Coast and, most recently, Malaysian outfit PKNS.
But to this day, Dulwich Hill FC will always be the humble location where he began his love affair with Australia in 2012.
The 28-year-old is back, albeit a few tiers higher, having joined the reigning A-League champions until the end of the season.
"It's the first time I've been playing in Sydney since," Ferreira said.
"It's special, and representing a club like Sydney FC is always great for any player because it's one of the top (clubs).
"I couldn't be happier to be here and back in the A-League, which is what I wanted at the moment.
"When you have a team like this play the way they play, you just want to get out there."
It's well known that a 16-year-old Ferreira was set for big things when he was signed by then Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho, who spotted the prodigious talent in the youth ranks of Portuguese powerhouse club Sporting Lisbon.
He trained alongside Didier Drogba and Michael Essien but never broke into the Blues' first team, and was eventually loaned out to Oldham Athletic where he made his only English professional debut.
After a couple of years in Portugal's lower leagues, Ferreira moved to Sydney's inner suburbs where he had relatives, and set about resurrecting his career at then second-tier NSW state league club Dulwich Hill FC.
The 22-year-old slogged it out with part-timers until Adelaide came calling in 2012, before he shifted to the Mariners midway through the 2014-15 season.
Now he's back wearing blue, though a different shade than at Stamford Bridge - and Dulwich Hill for that matter - and will look to build on his 28 A-league goals from 105 appearances.
Ferreira's signature, to play exclusively in the A-League and not the Asian Champions League, follows two weeks of training with the Sky Blues, which he found markedly more professional than his experience in Malaysia.
Coach Graham Arnold quickly became impressed with his fitness and finesse.
"To get Faby in the last moment of the transfer window gives us something different to what we've got," Arnold.
"Someone who can play high and wide; has a lot of speed; a great one-versus-one action."
Those characteristics were in high demand from A-League rivals including Western Sydney, and give Ferreira something he hopes will be to his advantage amid huge competition for a starting spot in the club's prolific front four.
"I'm going to do my best and, hopefully, give a headache to the coach to choose," Ferreira said.
"He knows how I play, he knows my qualities so, hopefully, I'll have a lot of game time and I can help the team keep winning."