Mohun Bagan Super Giant has signed the services of A-League all-time goal scorer Jamie Maclaren, the club announced the signing through their social media handles on Monday. The Australian forward has signed a four-year contract with the Kolkata giants.
Maclaren played for Melbourne City FC for six seasons and also played for clubs like Brisbane Roar and Perth Glory in the A-league. The Australian is the all-time top scorer of the A-League with 149 goals and has won the Golden Boot on five occasions.
Maclaren has represented Australia in 30 games, scoring a total of eight goals.
After signing his contract Maclaren said, “I watched a lot of Indian football, dating back to the Iain Hume days. It was broadcast on Australian sports channels, and some world-class players played in the ISL. But I chose Mohun Bagan Super Giant because of the incredible history, and secondly, their trophy ambitions match mine. Having won a lot in Australia, I’m looking forward to adding to an already decorated group of staff and players.
“The Kolkata derby is a fixture that I have watched before, and to see over 60,000 inside our stadium is incredible and like always derbies are extra special for the fans who create the goose bump atmosphere,” he added.
The Mariners have foreign players like Dimitri Petratos, Jason Cummings, and Greg Stewart, and Maclaren has played with and against the trio.
He added, “Well, I’ve had the luxury of playing alongside and against both. Dimi is a creator, a player who is very brave on the ball and chooses the right pass for his strikers. I know he will provide a lot of assists for me but also score a lot of goals himself. Jase, well, he’s a left-footed version of myself. We have a similar history—both our heritages go back to Edinburgh, we both played for Hibernian, and we love being inside the penalty box like any number 9, waiting to finish off chances that come our way. Greg, also another attacking threat, has already shown his qualities in India, but I know of him through my time in the SPL. We won’t have a problem creating and exciting our fans, I can assure you of that.”
“To our fans, I cannot wait to represent this badge, this city and fight every game! The first goal will be a nice feeling, I know the standards that have been set on and off the pitch, and I will be doing my best and hardest every day so that in the end we can celebrate more trophies!”
