The New York Cosmos announced today that Villarreal legend and former European Champion Marcos Senna has signed with the club, pending a physical exam. Senna is set to make his debut on American soil Aug. 3, when the Cosmos open their reboot season in the NASL at Hofstra University.
“This is a very special moment for me in joining the Cosmos because I face a new challenge, but at the same time it has been a difficult decision to leave Villarreal after 11 seasons,” Senna said. “I want to thank Giovanni Savarese, Remy Cherin and my agents Ely Coimbra and Hector Peris for helping me make this move possible.”
Senna, 36, began his career in his Brazil but spent the past 11 seasons at Villarreal CF where he was recognized as one of the top midfielders in La Liga, Spain’s top league. Senna has also served as captain of both Villarreal and the Spanish national team. On the international stage, Senna has 28 caps for the Spanish national team. He was an integral part of the Spanish team that won Euro 2008 and was selected to the UEFA Team of the Tournament.
For Villarreal, Senna has over 313 appearances and 29 goals in all competitions for the Yellow Submarines and helped lead the club to promotion this past season back to La Liga. During his time at Villarreal, the club reached the UEFA Champions League semifinal and also finished second in La Liga.
“We are delighted to add Marcos Senna to the New York Cosmos,” Cosmos head coach Giovanni Savarese said. “His reputation in the game and his achievements over his career on the field speak for themselves – he’s the type of player that makes everyone on his team better and his leadership and experience will be invaluable for us.”
Off the field, Senna runs the Marcos Senna Foundation, a non-profit organization led by Senna, created to support and contribute to the welfare of the most needy, requiring humanitarian assistance, with a focus on children. The aim of the Foundation is the promotion and development of activities, programs, activities and events in order to achieve the said goal. For more information, please visit http://www.fundacionmarcossenna.org. To stay up-to-date with the Cosmos’ newest player, follow Senna on Twitter @MarcosSenna19.
The team this week also released single-game tickets for their home opener at Hofstra University’s Shuart Stadium. Seats are now available via www.nycosmos.com and by calling 855-71-COSMOS. Individual tickets start as low as $15. The Cosmos will face their historic rivals, the Fort Lauderdale Strikers, in the opener on Aug. 3. Prior to kickoff, the Cosmos will honor legends from their past in a special on-field ceremony.
