He athletic ottawaof the Canadian Premier League (CPL), officially announced this Wednesday the “historic” contract Alberto Zapater, from Ejeano and former captain of Zaragoza, who said goodbye to the team of his life, Real Zaragoza last May.

The Canadian professional league club, which is owned by Atlético de Madrid, says Zapater arrives to play the rest of this season with the possibility of extending the contract until 2024.

Shortly after the announcement of the hiring of Zapater, who in addition to playing for Real Zaragoza He played for teams such as Genoa in Serie A in Italy, Sporting CP in Primeira Liga in Portugal and Lokomotiv Moscow.of the Russian first division, the former captain of Zaragoza wore the striped jersey of Atlético Ottawa.

Atlético Ottawa CEO, Ferdinand Lopezsaid Zapater’s presence in the CPL and in the Canadian capital team will be transcendental.

“He is a symbol, an icon of what ‘Marca España’ is and what Spanish football is that we are trying to bring to Canada. Alberto is a legend and his CV speaks for itself.” , Lopez said.

“Bringing a player of his caliber to a league like the Canadian Premier League, which has only five years of history, is something many expected and few imagined. We managed to convince him and his family to come here and it will be an incredible experience for everyone,” added the manager of Atlético Ottawa.

Zapater’s move to Atlético Ottawa has been called by Canadian soccer fans and commentators the biggest in CPL history.

“We brought him in because of the great person he is, because he believed in the project and because we really believe he has football left in his legs. The combination of his experience, his leadership and his footballing qualities can help the team win again, that’s what we need.“Lopez explained.

Pending his full integration into the Canadian squad, Zapater is set to make his debut with Atlético Ottawa on July 8. The CPL transfer window opens on July 5.

López indicated that the team wanted to give Zapater two weeks to adapt to the country and the characteristics of the CPL, whose matches are often played on artificial turf.

Ottawa Athletic coach, Carlos Gonzalez, He said Zapater’s arrival would mean a big reinforcement of the team’s midfield.

Also on Wednesday, Atlético Ottawa announced the signing of 23-year-old Swiss player Rubén del Campo, who comes from the Atlético de Madrid academy. Last season, Del Campo played for San Fernando in the Spanish Third Division.

Atlético Ottawa has promised to continue to attract international players to make the team from the Canadian capital the reference of the CPL.

Spanish players Miguel Acosta Mateos and Diego Espejo de la Concepción are already active in the Canadian squad. In addition, there are three other Spaniards in the technical team: coach Carlos González and his assistants David Galan and Borja Montero.

At the moment, Atlético Ottawa is second to last in the CPL, which is made up of eight teams.