Orlando City will have a significant help starting the 2019 MLS season. According to ESPN Brasil, City has managed to agree on a deal with former Brazil international Diego Ribas. Ribas, who previously played for several high-profile European clubs like Juventus and Atletico Madrid, will sign a three-year, $2 million deal.
Since Diego Ribas still has six months left on his contract with Brasileiro Série A powerhouse Flamengo, it remains unclear when will he join his new club. Orlando and Flamengo are currently negotiating the terms of his release, but if the two sides are unable to reach an agreement, Ribas will remain in Brazil for the remainder of his contract and come to MLS in the summer.
After Flamengo appointed Abel Braga as the new manager, he went on to publicly say that he doesn’t need Diego Ribas’ services in the future which prompted the player’s agent to test the market for his client. Orlando City emerged as a frontrunner for his services after the team missed out on Peruvian left-back Yoshimar Yotun.
Diego Ribas started his career in native Brasil, playing for Santos between 2002 and 2004, before coming to Europe and signing with Portuguese giants Porto. He later played in Germany, Italy, Spain, and Turkey before returning to Brazil in 2016. Ribas also played for Brazil national men’s team, being featured in 34 games and scoring four goals.
