The 31-year old Spanish goal scoring ace enjoyed a highly successful 2 ½ year stint at Auckland City winning the Oceania Champions League three times during his time with the Sandringham-based club. He also participated in two FIFA Club World Cup tournaments with Auckland in Japan in 2011 and 2012.
He was the club’s leading goal scorer for the 2011/12 and 2012/13 seasons and was the OFC Champions League Golden Boot for 2011/12 also. In total he scored 46 goals in 68 matches for the club.
KAS Eupen are from the city of Eupen which is part of the German-Speaking Community of Belgium based in the province of Liege. They currently play in the Belgian second division. The club was purchased last month by Qatar’s Aspire Zone Foundation (AZF) which is owned and funded by the Qatari government.
Exposito – a former FC Barcelona player who made his first team debut for the Catalan giants on the same day as a 16 year-old Lionel Messi – was naturally delighted to be making the return back from amateur ranks to professional football.
“The new owners have some exciting plans for the club. It is a really interesting project for the team and for myself. It is a chance to get back into professional football again and it’s a new challenge for me personally.”
Speaking from Belgium where he has just commenced pre-season training with his new team mates Exposito stressed the decision to leave Auckland was by no means an easy one.
“Auckland City has been a huge part of my life for the last three years. The club is like one big family and I have made so many life-long friends during my stay in New Zealand. The culture at the club is unique – it is like something I have never experienced before in football. I will miss everyone there a lot.”
“I wish the team all the very best for the upcoming season. I am sure they will be successful. Auckland City is a great club and you never know…hopefully I can return sometime in the future to play there again!”
Auckland City’s chairman Ivan Vuksich was quick to praise Exposito’s contribution to the club’s success.
“Xino – as he is affectionately known to everyone at the club – was an outstanding player for Auckland City. He scored many important goals for the club and his record speaks for itself. He will certainly be fondly remembered as one of our best ever strikers.”
“He was also a great character both on and off the playing field and formed a special bond with the club’s supporters. We will all miss him but we wish him well with the next stage of his football career and his life.”
Exposito joins a growing list of Auckland City players who have left the club in recent seasons to join professional outfits. In 2010 club captain and senior All White Ivan Vicelich joined Shenzhen Ruby in the Chinese Super League on a short team deal after New Zealand’s outstanding performance at the FIFA World Cup in South Africa. In 2012 midfielder Andreu Guerao left for Dinamo Tbilisi (Georgia) and young Kiwi defender Ian Hogg departed for Portland Timbers in America’s MLS competition. In January of this year Angel Berlanga was signed by Sporting Clube de Goa in India’s fledging I-League.
Story courtesy of Auckland City FC
For more on New Zealand Football visit www.nzfootball.co.nz

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