Melbourne Victory is thrilled to announce the signing of Westfield Matildas forward Lisa De Vanna ahead of the 2020/21 W-League season.
De Vanna, a member of the club’s 2013/14 Championship-winning team, returns to Victory for a third stint having most recently played for Fiorentina in the 2019/20 Serie A season where she scored five goals in 14 games.
The 36-year-old is Australia’s all-time leading goalscorer with 47 goals in 150 appearances in the green and gold. She has played at four FIFA Women’s World Cups, two Olympics and was a member of the Matildas’ 2010 AFC Women’s Asian Cup-winning side.
De Vanna said she was excited to return to the club ahead of the upcoming campaign.
“It’s wonderful to be back at Victory and it’s clear Jeff, his staff and the players have built a special environment here,” De Vanna said.
“The professionalism and competition at training has been excellent. Everyone is working hard on the training tack and as a playing group we are hungry to improve on the foundations of the past couple of seasons.
“We play football to perform for our members and fans, and we are can’t wait for the season to start and play in front of them again. It’s going to be an exciting season.”
Head Coach, Jeff Hopkins, said he was thrilled to sign the four-time W-League Championship winner.
“Everyone is aware of what a fantastic player Lisa is and the success she has achieved in her career to date, both at club level and for the Matildas,” Hopkins said.
“Her experience and leadership will be particularly invaluable assets for our playing group during the upcoming season. Our young attackers, in particular, will be able to learn a lot from Lisa.
“Lisa has fit in seamlessly into training and as a squad we are working hard to make sure we are ready to go for our season opening match against the Wanderers on December 27.”
Current Melbourne Victory W-League squad:
Melina AYRES, MelindaJ BARBIERI, Angela BEARD, Claudia BUNGE, Kyra COONEY-CROSS, Lisa DE VANNA, Amy JACKSON, Annalie LONGO, Kayla MORRISON, Lia PRIVITELLI, Catherine ZIMMERMAN
