Bienvenu Samuel: City signs former Ligue 1 and Serie A defender

We have bolstered our defensive stocks with the signing of experienced French defender, Samuel Souprayen, on a two-year deal.

Souprayen makes the move to Melbourne from Bulgarian first division club Botev Plovdiv, where he has spent the last two seasons after a long career in France and Italy.

Equally as comfortable playing in the heart of defence as he is on the left, Souprayen’s experience and flexibility are set to be invaluable assets for Rado Vidosic’s side as it embarks on a new AFC Champions League campaign in September.

During his time in Italy, Souprayen made 90 appearances in all competitions for Serie A club Hellas Verona.

He has also spent a number of seasons in France – featuring in both the first and second divisions during stints with Dijon, Stade Rennais and AJ Auxerre.

Standing at 187cm, Souprayen is set to be an imposing presence in the City backline as it looks to create more history after claiming a record-breaking third consecutive Premiers Plate last season.

Melbourne City FC Director of Football, Michael Petrillo, said:

“Samuel is a very experienced defender who has great physical presence, speed and a strong ability to play out from the back.

“After a significant turnover of experienced players, he has the perfect character to bring into our changeroom, which was a very important reason for his recruitment.

“Having played 31 games last season, Samuel has shown he is in great physical condition and very capable of performing at a high level.

Samuel Souprayen said:

“I decided to come and play in Australia because I like new challenges, and the opportunity to play in a new country and fight for silverware was too good to pass up.

“Melbourne City is a big club that fights for trophies, and I’m a fierce competitor, so this seemed like the perfect challenge for me.

“I spoke with Florin Berenguer who had nothing but good things to say about the Club and the city, so I’m really excited to be joining Melbourne City.”