The Swope Park Rangers have signed Brazilian midfielder Ayrton Pinheiro Victor, the club announced today. Ayrton came through the Corinthians’ Academy in Brazil and spent time on loan in Portugal at CF Uniao Madeira before returning home to join Tigres do Brasil. Ayrton, who will join pending the receipt of his P-1 Visa and International Transfer Certificate (ITC), becomes the seventh player on the Rangers’ squad to occupy a Foreign Player roster spot.
“I'm very happy and excited for this new journey and I really want to thank the club for the opportunity,” Ayrton said. “I'll do my best to help the Swope Park Rangers achieve their goals and I'm sure that we can do incredible things together.”
“We felt that we needed depth in the midfield position and we needed to bring more competition and options in the squad,” Swope Park Rangers head coach Marc Dos Santos said. “Ayrton is an attacking midfielder with great qualities when the team is building play in the last third. He's a young player that will be able to grow and develop in the club and we’re very happy to bring him in to our group.”
Ayrton, 22, began his career alongside Rangers midfielder Ualefi in Corinthians’ Academy, advancing to the Under-20 team in 2014 before joining CF Uniao Madeira on loan in the Portuguese Segunda Liga where he spent the 2014-15 season. After 37 appearances and three goals in all competitions for Uniao Madeira, Ayrton returned to Corinthians at the conclusion of his loan spell.
At the start of 2016, the Sao Paulo native went on loan to Tigres do Brasil – a club that competes in the top division of Rio de Janeiro’s regional Campeonato Carioca tournament. After Tigres went 1-6-1 and finished seventh in Group B, Ayrton joined the club for the secondary Taca Rio tournament and made seven appearances, helping the side to a 3-2-2 record and a third-place finish in that tournament.
Ayrton returned to Corinthians after his time with Tigres came to an end, before joining the Swope Park Rangers on Friday.
VITALS
Ayrton Pinheiro Victor (EYE-EAR-tun)
Position: Midfielder
Born: 5/6/94 (22 years old)
Height: 6-0
Weight: 170 lbs.
Last Club: Corinthians (Brazil)
Hometown: Sao Paulo, Brazil
Birthplace: Sao Paulo, Brazil
Citizenship: Brazil
Twitter: @tonpinheiro
Instagram: @tonpinheiro
