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ISL side NorthEast United FC have signed Argentine forward Maximiliano Barreiro from Ecuadorian Serie A team S.D. Aucus, according to local media outlet Mundo Deportivo. Having scored 5 goals and provided 3 assists in 17 appearances, he will be the Highlanders' second foreign signing for the 2019-20 ISL season.
Barreiro can play in the centre-forward and right-wing position and will fill Bartholomew Ogbeche's shoes in NorthEast United, who has signed for Kerala Blasters in ISL.
Barreiro started his career in 2008 with Argentine second-tier club Deportivo Melo where he scored 13 goals in 39 matches in the first two seasons. After stints with various second-tier teams in Argentina, he made his move to Ecuador and signed for top-tier club Mushuc Runa SC. There, he scored 13 goals in 38 matches.
Continuing his nomadic journey in South America, Barreiro signed for Uruguayan Primera Division club Defensor Sporting in 2015 but struggled to find playing time and returned to his previous side in Ecuador.
In 2016, Barreiro topped the scoring charts in Ecuadorian Serie A after he fired 26 goals in 44 matches for Delfin Sporting Club.
Liga MX club Necaxa took note of his talent and signed him for the Clausura stage of the 2016-17 season. However, Barreiro could score only one goal and provide one assist in 15 matches he played there.
Barreiro returned to Ecuador again, this time signing for Independiente DV. In the 36 matches he played, he scored 12 goals and provided 7 assists.
The 34-year-old had a short stint in Colombia Atletico Huila in 2018, where he played 5 matches and scored one goal before eventually signing for Aucus. This will be Barreiro's first stint in Asia with NorthEast United.
Apart from Gallego, NorthEast United haven't retained a single foreigner so far and should be a different side this time under the tutelage of new coach Robert Jarni. Only time will tell whether their new signing can help them go the distance in ISL this time.
