The move is also a reunion for 34 year old Aloisi and Heart coach John van't Schip who worked together at Genoa.

"Life can be very strange," van't Schip said. "I worked with John (Aloisi) while he was a young boy trying out at Genoa and we established a very good relationship, so to be working with him again shows how interesting the world of football is.

"As a player, John has achieved much and has great qualities. He has great touch, a fantastic shot, brilliant vision and an ability to draw his teammates into the game, a combination of skills that is very difficult to find.

"I haven't been in Australia for long, but I know of John's important contribution to football here and know just how important this signing is for the club."

The move comes after Aloisi's renaissance season at Sydney where he was re-born under new coach Vitezslav Lavicka.

After struggling for form and fitness under John Kosmina where he was booed from the field by his own fans, Aloisi was a powerhouse in attack scoring one of the goals of the season among his tally of 10 for the season from 24 games including 16 starts.

Aloisi is understood to have a signed a one year non-marquee deal followed by a move into coaching at the club.

Having sampled such a variety of football cultures across his career, van 't Schip is confident Aloisi is capable of starting his development as a coach.

"There are not many footballers who have played in all three big European leagues. It's amazing to think  that John completed his first season in Italy while I was finishing the final one of my career," he said.

"In my discussions with John, it is clear he has a great understanding of football at a tactical level and I believe that he now has an opportunity to become a successful coach."

He joins former FC keeper Clint Bolton and almost certainly Sydney defender Simon Colosimo and is the eighth confirmed signing for the club so far.

The club also unveiled their new red and white striped kits for next season.