The former Middlesbrough and Celtic playmaker is currently believed to be flying into Australia after a deal was agreed for the player.

And the move brings an end to the protracted marquee nightmare the club has suffered since beginning its international hunt for a superstar signing.

Sydney are reportedly set to unveil the player to fans on Friday - and may even play in their weekend game against Newcastle Jets.

Juninho has been playing for Brazilian club Flamengo until two months ago and had hoped to return to the UK with newly-promoted Premiership side Derby County.

But that deal collapsed - and Sydney stepped in to bring him to Australia instead. au.fourfourtwo.com first broke the news of the possible signing on our Rumour Mill section more than a week ago.

The move came after previous attempts to sign Dutch ace Phillip Cocu, Socceroo John Aloisi and Liverpool legend Robbie Fowler all fell through.

Now hopes will be high that Juninho can bring back the success the club enjoyed with their previous marquee player, Dwight Yorke.

Yorke's influence helped the club win the inaugural A-League Championship, and resurrected Yorke's career. He is now with Premiership side Sunderland.

The signing is the first good news for the club in a troubled pre-season.

They have been rocked by Mark Milligan walking out on the club to secretly trial for a French club, and star winger Dave Carney is set for a move to Sheffield United after the Championship side made a formal offer for the Socceroo star.

Juninho, 34, was part of Brazil's 2002 World Cup winning side, and has scored 5 goals for the national team in 50 appearances.

During his career, Juninho has played for Brazilian clubs São Paulo FC, Vasco da Gama, Palmeiras, CR Flamengo, as well as English club Middlesbrough, Spanish club Atlético Madrid, and Celtic in Scotland.

He was a cult hero at Boro, first joining the club in 1995 and staying for two seasons, playing in 56 games and scoring 14 times.

He left for Atletico Madrid where he scored another 14 goals in 55 games before rejoining Boro on loan for a season in 1999, scoring four times in 24 appearances.

He rejoined Boro after the World Cup win in 2002 for another couple of seasons, playing 41 games for 11 goals and then moved to Celtic where he played 14 games, finding the net just once.

He returned to Brazil to play for Palmeiras in 2005 and rediscovered his shooting boots, netting 16 times in 56 games. Since the end of the 2006 season though, his game time has been virtually zero.