“I’m thrilled to join the Sailors at such an exciting point in their journey,” said Lopes. “Their run to the AFC Champions League Two final last season really caught my attention, and I’ve been impressed by the club’s vision and ambition to elevate Singapore football.

“My objectives are clear: I’m here to contribute, to score goals, to win trophies, and to help the team make a real impact in Asia.”

Lion City overcame the odds to reach the final of last season’s AFC Champions League Two, defeating Japan’s Sanfrecce Hiroshima and Sydney FC from Australia before losing to Sharjah FC from the United Arab Emirates in a keenly contested final.

 

Lopes joins after scoring 101 goals in the top flight of Japanese football during spells with Sanfrecce Hiroshima, Consadole Sapporo and Yokohama F Marinos. He also previously played for FC Seoul in Korea Republic and Wuhan FC in China PR.

 

The 31-year-old scored six times in the AFC Champions League during Yokohama F Marinos’ run to the final, where they lost out to Al Ain, and was on target on a further eight occasions in the AFC Champions League Elite 2024/25 as the J1 club reached the quarter-finals.

“To reach 100 goals in a league as competitive as J1 speaks volumes about his quality,” said Sailors head coach Aleksandar Ranković.

 

“But it’s not just about his goal scoring — Anderson is excellent at holding the ball up and just as capable of creating chances for his teammates. I’m confident he’ll be a tremendous asset to the team this season.”

 

Lion City's Singapore Premier League win sees the club qualify again for the AFC Champions League Two, with the draw for the group phase for the 2025/26 edition to be made in Kuala Lumpur on August 15.