Andre Geraldes de Barros, joined Maccabi Tel Aviv FC on a one-year-loan-deal with an option to make the move permanent after an agreement was reached with his club Sporting Lisbon CP.
The 28-year-old Portuguese right-back, 181cm, who successfully underwent a medical at the club, will join Vladimir Ivic’s squad and will wear the number 28 at Maccabi.
Geraldes, who spent last season on-loan at Spanish outfit Sporting Gijon for which he made a total of 35 appearances in all competitions, told the club’s official website: “I am very happy to be here in Tel Aviv and excited to join the biggest club in Israel. Looking forward to the start of a successful season. Yalla Maccabi”.
Maccabi’s CEO, Ben Mansford, added: “Andre is a player that was identified as having the right qualities and personality to improve the current group. Andre possesses and excellent football pedigree and is part of a club renown for signing and developing some of the best talent in Europe. It was pleasing to see how excited Andre was to come and join Maccabi and I look forward to seeing him play in Yellow very soon. Geraldes already knows Nick Blackman from their time at Sporting Gijon last season so we are all confident that he will settle into life at Kiryat Shalom quickly. Welcome Andre. Finally, I would like to thank Mitch for enabling us to make this addition. Without his constant support and drive to push Maccabi forwards, it would be impossible to envisage signings such as this”.
Geraldes made his first footballing footsteps in the youth academy of his boyhood town Maia in the Porto region before joining Rio Ave on a free transfer and spending loan spells at Chaves for which he made his senior debut at the age of 19 and Aves the following season. Geraldes left Portugal for the first time in the 2012/13 season to join forces with fellow Portuguese coach Carlos Carvalhal at Istanbul Basakshir and made 32 appearances at the Turkish club. After 18 months in Turkey, Gerlades, returned to his native country and joined Belenenses SAD on-loan in January 2014 before signing for Portuguese giants Sporting Lisbon. One season with Sporting B’ led Geraldes to return for a second loan-spell with Belenenses whom he helped reach the Europa League group stages making a total of 46 appearances in all competitions that season. Geraldes spent loan spells with Vitoria Setubal and a third stint with Belenenses before leaving Portugal to join Sporting Gijon of the Spanish second division where he played along with Nick Blackman.
