Belgrade, July 10 (uefa.com) - Ljubinko Drulovic has ended an eleven-year exile from his home country to join Serbo-Montenegrin champions FK Partizan. The 35-year-old midfield player joins from SL Benfica, having agreed a one-year deal.
Drulovic spent eleven years in Portugal after leaving FK Rad for Gil Vicente FC. He won five consecutive league titles with FC Porto and spent two seasons at Benfica where he wore the captain's armband.
Capped 38 times by Yugoslavia, Partizan hope to reap the benefits of his European experience in this season's UEFA Champions League, where they will play Sweden's Djurgardens IF in the second qualifying round. Partizan director Nenad Bjekovic said: "Drulovic brings experience and a guarantee of success. We got a top player and he is ready to play three more seasons and I hope all of them will be in the Partizan shirt."
Drulovic himself said: "I am proud to have signed for one of our best clubs, at the end of my career. This is a real challenge for me. I have a lot of experience playing in the Champions League and I want to help Partizan succeed on the international stage. I feel like a boy starting out. All this is new and exciting for me."
