Mumbai City FC sign defender Rostyn Griffiths on one year deal

MUMBAI: Indian Super League franchise Mumbai City FC on Sunday signed central defender Rostyn Griffiths on a one-year deal.

The 34-year-old joined the Islanders from fellow City Football Group side and A-League outfit Melbourne City FC for a one-year contract, until the end of the 2022/23 season.

The central defender reunites with head coach Des Buckingham after spending four seasons at Melbourne City, where Buckingham was the assistant coach between 2020 and 2021.

The experienced Englishman won the A-League Premiers and Championship double in the 2020/21 season and also featured in the club’s debut continental campaign at the 2022 AFC Champions League, before getting his hands on a second consecutive Premiers in 2021/22 with the Melbourne-based club.

Born in Stoke-on-Trent, England, Griffiths started his career with then-Premier League side Blackburn Rovers before moving to Australia to ply his trade. He made his A-league debut with Adelaide United and went on to represent North Queensland Fury and Central Coast Mariners, where he had a very successful spell, winning the Premiers in the 2011/12 season.

Griffiths then featured for China’s Guangzhou City and the Dutch club Roda JC before returning to A-league with Perth Glory, where he spent two seasons with the club.

Prior to joining Melbourne City, he turned out for Uzbek side Pakhtakor Tashkent in the 2017/18 Uzbekistan Super League.

The former Australian u17s international has a total of 321 appearances and 23 goals to his name in his club career so far.

“I’ve heard lots of good things about the Indian Super League, it is one of the fastest-growing leagues in the world and it has a great quality in terms of the game. Personally, this is a new challenge in my life and I’m ready for it. The club’s vision and ambition is a huge factor in helping my decision to come here along with what Des Buckingham intends to build here at Mumbai City. I’ve known him from a long time – we’ve won trophies together in Australia, and now I hope we can achieve success in India as well,” Griffiths said in an official statement released by Mumbai City FC.

“We have got a solid squad, with a great mix of youth and experience, and I am really excited to be part of it. I look forward to working with my new teammates, and most importantly, make the passionate fans of Mumbai City proud,” he added.

“I’ve worked closely with Rostyn in the past, so I know him quite well. He is a top player and is someone who will bring a lot of experience and character into our team. We’ve enjoyed success in our time at Melbourne City and he fits perfectly within our able and talented squad. We have a very young core here and I believe Rostyn can be a great mentor to our youngsters as well. I believe he can make a big impact at Mumbai City,” Des Buckingham, Head Coach, Mumbai City FC said.