After plenty of speculation over the last few years linking him with a return to the Weserstadion, Claudio Pizzaro has finally put that to bed and signed a one-year deal with Werder Bremen.

A warm welcome for a club legend

In what will be his third - or fourth if his loan spell from Chelsea is counted - stint at the club, the Peruvian striker has already been welcomed back at the airport and the fans are understandably delighted by his return. A medical was passed on Monday morning and it was also confirmed that he will wear the number 14 shirt.

Pizarro is the highest scoring foreign player in Bundesliga history, and has notched up over 250 goals and just shy of 100 assists in all competitions while with Werder and Bayern Munich. He claimed six league and cup trophies with the two clubs and won the double on an impressive five occasions. The highlight came during the 2012-13 campaign, as Pizarro helped the Bavarians to win an historic treble.

Skripnik and Pizarro have their say

Speaking on his arrival, manager Viktor Skripnik admitted he was excited to meet up with his old friend again. Both coach and assistant coach, Torsten Frings, had playing experience with Pizarro at Werder: "There is no doubting his ability, and he will also bring a lot to the team on a personal level. It is now important that we give him every opportunity with the team on the pitch."

Pizarro also gave his thoughts on the move, "I am happy to be back. The prospect of striving for success at this club is very exciting." He added that he hopes his presence will "help the team a lot". The 36-year-old confirmed that he was "looking forward" to what he called a "transitional period" and playing with "a new team".

Quotes via werder.de

VAVEL Logo
About the author
Jonathan Walsh
SoccerSight IFA commentator. VAVEL deputy editor-in-chief/VAVEL Bundesliga editor-in-chief and writer. Email: [email protected]