VIENNA (AFP) - Brazilian-born Japan international Alessandro "Alex" Santos has signed a one-year loan deal with Austrian league leaders Salzburg, the club said.
The 29-year-old midfielder, voted Player of the Year in the Japanese League in 1999, joins Salzburg from Urawa Red Diamonds, with which he won the Japanese double -- Cup and Championship -- last season.
The left-footed player, who took Japanese citizenship in 2002, participated in the last two World Cups and has scored seven goals in 82 national appearances.
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Santos will join his new team at their training camp in Dubai on January 22.
He follows former Japan captain Tsuneyasu Miyamoto, who also signed with the Austrian club this week.