Tonight, Fulham have announced that Sporting Clube de Portugal have signed Bryan Ruiz after they met the €60mil buyout clause to capture the Costa Rican playmaker.
Reports around both England and Portugal suggest that he has signed a three year contract with the Portuguese giants.
Career in London
Bryan Ruiz played for Fulham for four seasons and appeared 84 times in league play while finding the back of the net on just 12 occasions, not great considering the price they paid to get him from FC Twente.
However, things did not really work out for him in his final season after he was sent out on loan to eventual Eredivise champions, PSV. It was here where he found a little bit of confidence in front of goal scoring five goals in his 14 appearances.
He has been a mainstay in the Costa Rican national team and was named in to the 2014 World Cup squad. During this tournament, he was captain in the first match and scored the only goal in the major upset over Italy.
Again, in the round of 16 Ruiz proved to be big once again and scored the only goal as he scored in the 1-1 draw against Greece.
This great performance in the World Cup did not get him more playing time having completed the full 90 minutes just twice before beeing shipped out on loan.
Future in Portugal
Under new manager Jorge Jesus, Ruiz will have to show what he is capable of and will hopefully find his scoring touch again in this new league.
Islam Slimani and Freddy Montero combined for 12 and 11 goals apiece for Sporting, but adding this striker with Premier League experience will add another ripple to their attack and make this side a formidable opponent in the Primeira Liga.