RIO DE JANEIRO, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- Vasco da Gama have reached a deal to sign Argentinian striker German Cano on a free transfer, capitalizing on revenue from a successful campaign to increase club membership.
The 31-year-old agreed to a two-year contract after parting ways with Colombia's Independiente Medellin for a second time earlier this month.
"I'm very happy that this moment has arrived," Cano said on social media. "I'm looking forward to being part of such a big institution. Thank you to everyone."
Cano has been the most prolific striker in Colombian football over the past two years with 75 goals in 97 matches across all competitions. He also netted 54 times in 99 games during his first spell at Medellin from 2012 to 2014.
The striker's 13-year professional career has also included spells at Argentina's Lanus, Paraguay's Club Nacional and Mexico's Pachuca, among other clubs.
Vasco president Alexandre Campbello hailed the signing as a reward to fans who have secured season tickets over the past month. The Rio de Janeiro club's database of paid-up members has increased five-fold after a marketing campaign in which fans were offered a 50% discount.
"In recent weeks you [the fans] have asked for Vasco to hire a [quality] striker . For all that you have done in the past month, helping us to exceed 185,000 members, you deserve this signing," Campbello said in a social media post.
Vasco, who have not won a first division title since 2000, finished 12th out of 20 teams in the 2019 Brazilian Serie A championship.