Former Balzan striker Angel Torres has completed a move to Central Coast Mariners, the Australian side announced.
Torres parted ways with Balzan FC last month and he was immediately linked with a transfer to the Australian club who enjoy a great relationship with the Maltese side.
In fact, Balzan FC president Anton Tagliaferro who is also co-chairman at the Australian A-League club.
The 23-year-old arrives at the club after an impressive 2022-23 Premier League season at Balzan FC, scoring 14 goals and providing six assists in 22 league appearances, helping the club to qualify for the UEFA Conference League.
Prior to his transfer to Balzan, Torres formed part of the FC Porto Academy as from 2018 and joined up with the Portuguese giant’s youth teams, scoring twice in the 2018/19 edition of the UEFA Youth League, helping the squad reaching the final.
Wearing the number seven, Torres and the team won the tournament and were crowned the best youth team in Europe after defeating Chelsea 3-1.
After appearing in the Portuguese second division for FC Porto B, Torres was transferred to fellow Portuguese club Alverca, before finding his way to Balzan in Malta.
Torres is thrilled to be linking up with the Mariners, having seen what the club does to help young players reach their potential.
“I am very happy to be joining the champions of Australia and am very excited to work with all of the staff and my new teammates ahead of the upcoming season,” Torres said.
“It is a really nice and interesting project for me to join. It is one that I feel like I am going to fit in with very well where they promote young players. It is a club that helps these players reach the highest level so I think it will be a great place for me.”
On his part Mariners head coach Nick Montgomery is excited to bring the Colombian to the Central Coast, having been a long-time admirer of the forward.
“Ángel is a player we have known about for a while since his days in Portugal, winning the Under 19’s UEFA Champions League with Porto. He is a very talented player who scores and assists, is good on one-on-one situations and works very hard for the team,” Montgomery said.
“We believe Angel has the ability to play at the very top level and like for many, the Central Coast Mariners can be the springboard for him to get there. We are really excited for him to join the squad in preparation for the upcoming AFC Cup and A-League competitions.”
