The Wellington Phoenix have made their first new visa signing for the 2026-27 Isuzu UTE A-League.
The Phoenix have secured the signature of Mexican striker Rafael Durán on a two-year deal.
Durán, 28, has played more than 300 professional matches, primarily in Mexico, and was part of Macarthur FC’s squad last season.
He scored four goals and had two assists for the Bulls despite playing out of position for the majority of his 24 appearances.
Phoenix head coach Chris Greenacre is delighted to have made his first visa signing.
“Rafa’s a player with immense quality and he can play anywhere across the frontline,” Greenacre said. “But his ideal position is as a nine and that’s where we believe his qualities will suit the way we want to play.
“His link play is very, very good, he has the ability to dribble one-vs-one, he’s got speed to get in behind and he’s a physical presence.
“We haven’t signed him for what he’s done, we’ve signed him because of what we believe he can do for this team, and we’re really excited to see that come to life.
“Rafa will fit very well into the environment we’re trying to create. He’s hungry, wants responsibility, is competitive and understands that he’s playing for much more than just himself when he pulls on a Wellington Phoenix shirt.
“He also knows the A-League. He understands the intensity, the physicality and the demands of the competition.
“We expect Rafa will be a real handful this season and we’re looking forward to seeing him play in front of the Yellow Fever.”
Rafael Durán jumped at the decision to sign with Nix as he believes he has a point to prove in the A-League.
“I’m very happy to have joined the Phoenix,” Durán said. “It’s a big club in the league and when I played in Wellington last season I loved the stadium, I loved the city, the weather and the people.
“I look forward to getting to know everyone and helping the team win.
“At Macarthur I played a couple of games as a nine but because we had a lot of injured players, especially wingers, I had to move out wide for several games.
“But my natural position is to play as a nine and that’s where I feel most comfortable.
“Football is easy when you feel comfortable on the pitch and that’s when you play your best.
“I wanted another experience in the A-League and I want to score a lot of goals in Wellington.”
Durán acknowledges he has big boots to fill with the men’s last three strikers having hit the 10-goal season tally.
“I will set a target at the start of the season and I will work hard to score 10 or more goals.
“But I also think about how I can best help the team by setting up goals as well as scoring.
“I’m not a traditional nine that’s always in the box. I’m more of a nine that’s fast, mobile and try to get in behind defenders.
“One of my strengths is my speed. I’m fast and I’m calm in front of goal.
“You can ask me at the end of the season if I reached my target!”
Rafael Durán arrived in Wellington on Sunday and trained with his new teammates for the first time today.
The Wellington Phoenix now have 17 men’s players contracted for the upcoming season with further squad announcements to be made in the coming weeks.
