The veteran Greuther Fürth defender and captain, Marco Caligiuri, today extended his current deal the Trolli Arena; which will now run up until 2018.

The German of Italian descent, who is brother of VfL Wolfsburg's Daniel Caligiuri, is currently in his second spell with die Kleeblätter having been at the Franconian club during 2007-2010, making thirty seven appearances in the three-year period. Caligiuri has also had spells in the Bundesliga with 1. FSV Mainz, MSV Duisburg and recently Eintracht Braunschweig before finally making the move back to the Trolli Arena in 2014. Since then the 31-year-old has gone on to become a prominent figure in the Kleeblätter ranks and has become club captain.

"Marco is a very important pillar of our team. In addition to his high footballing skills, he has exceptional personal skills and is a great leader. Therefore for our future plans, he plays an important role", said Michael Mutzel - director of football at Greuther Fürth

The player himself added, "Everyone knows how good I feel here with the Shamrocks [die Kleeblätter]. I am aware of my responsibilites and will continue to bring my performance for the team and lead as our captain". Caligiuri's current contract was due to expire at the end of this current campaign, but will now run for a further two seasons securing the defender's immediate future.

Excellent start to the season

Greuther Fürth and Marco Caligiuri in particular have enjoyed a superb start to the season, as die Kleeblätter sit in sixth place after twelve matchdays; a stark contrast to last seasons relegation trouble. 

Stefan Ruthenbeck has transformed the Franconian side since joining as head coach in the summer, including the notable scalps of SC Karlsruhe and Eintracht Braunschweig. Caligiuri has been part of a defence that has come on leads and bounds under the former VfR Aalen coach; forming a good partnership with Benjamin Röcker and has kept a total of four clean sheets so far this season.

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Alex Howell
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