Brisbane Roar is delighted to confirm one of Queensland’s favourite sons, Robbie Kruse, has returned to the club.
The experienced attacker joins Brisbane Roar until the end of the current Isuzu UTE A-League season.
Kruse, 34, began his professional career with Brisbane Roar in the 2007/08 A-League season before departing for Melbourne Victory in the 2009/10 season.
After two seasons with Victory, Kruse would then go on to play in multiple stints in the Bundesliga, playing between Dusseldorf, Leverkusen, VfB Stuttgart and finally VfL Bochum.
A second stint with Victory would ensue, spanning a club career to date of 242 competitive appearances, 34 goals and 34 assists, before coming full circle back to Brisbane.
“Warren was really persistent in getting me to come down and I think my experience can really rub off on the younger guys, so really looking forward to it and helping the team as much as I can,” Kruse said.
A renowned Socceroos great, Kruse has also amassed 75 caps for the national team in all competitions.
Having been out with injury for the past nine months, Kruse is now focused on finishing this Isuzu UTE A-League campaign with Brisbane on a high note.
“Coming off the knee injury I had last season, I had to do all the right things to give myself the best chance because I didn’t want to come back if I couldn’t contribute anything to the club,” the former Socceroo said.
“Up until the last game, the team has been really strong defensively. They’ve played some good football in patches but obviously haven’t been able to capitalise on the opportunities they’ve had.”
“The table is so jam-packed that if you win two games, you really catapult up the ladder so obviously last game was disappointing, but you can get a couple of those throughout a season,” he added.
Kruse is hoping to influence the younger players in the squad with the experience from his long football career.
“I’ve played a long time in my career so if I can rub off onto them and help them in any way, then it’s going to be a positive.”
“Hopefully I can make impact off the bench in the time that I play, and obviously the goal is to play finals football so hopefully we can do that.”
Head Coach Warren Moon believes Kruse’s experience in the final third will be a real asset to his squad and is pleased his deal is now over the line.
“Robbie comes to us in a time where he genuinely wants to play for Brisbane Roar, and it’s great to have one of Queensland’s favourite sons return to where it all began for him,” Moon said.
“Robbie comes in and adds much needed experience in the final third which is where we’re lacking.”
“When he’s fully fit, this guy has the ability to really make things happen, which will help us.”
“Looking at the stats, Robbie is one of the highest rated players in the league in terms of chance creation, so we’re looking forward to seeing what he can do for us.”
Kruse is available for selection for this weekend’s fixture away to Adelaide United and will wear the number 14 kit for Brisbane Roar this season.
