It’s with great excitement that the Central Coast Mariners announce they have signed 25-year-old Paul Ayongo on a two-year deal from the Liga Portugal 2.
Ayongo is a strong and powerful striker that knows his way to goal. He was born in Ghana and played football with Charity Stars until the age of 16 where he migrated to Portugal to chase his football dreams.
As a 17-year-old, he joined Oeiras as a junior and then moved to third division side Amarentre FC where he continuously exceeded expectations, impressing the club and earning himself consistent promotions up through the ranks. He concluded his three-year spell with the club with an astounding 23 goals from 32 matches in the 2017/18 season.
After this impressive stint with Amarante, he moved to Primeira Liga team Paços de Ferreira, and after scoring four times in the top division, he was subsequently loaned out to CD Mafra where he also scored four goals, proving again his exceptional & reliable scoring ability.
Ayongo joins the Mariners from Académico de Viseu where he made 67 appearances over two seasons and was involved in 21 goals, scoring 18 of them and assisting three.
Mariners Head Coach Nick Montgomery spoke with great excitement about the arrival of Ayongo.
“Paul has been on our scouting list since I was promoted to the A-League last season. We know the player well and after his name came across our scouting network multiple times, Sergio and I arranged a zoom call to convince him that the Mariners would be a good move for him and his career.
“Paul is a very popular player at his previous clubs, due largely to his outstanding work rate and his honesty on and off the pitch. One thing we know about Paul is that he won’t back down and with his arrival, it will create more competition for places within our forward line, which pushes everyone to be better and is the only way to be successful.
“We successfully fought off interest from other clubs in Europe and Asia for Paul and I’m delighted that we can secure his signature for the next two years”, Montgomery concluded.
Speaking on his move to Australia, Ayongo was excited to experience life Down Under and play his football on the Central Coast.
“I am really looking forward to coming to Australia and making an impact on the A-League and hopefully scoring a few goals in the process.
“I’ve heard great things about the Central Coast and I am excited to get to know the boys and work with Monty [Nick Montgomery] and Sergio [Sergio Raimundo – Assistant Coach].”
Ayongo will fly into Australia ahead of the Australia Cup which will kick off the Mariners’ 2022/23 season, with the Mariners facing Sydney FC in the Round of 32.
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