Real Zaragoza sign Japanese midfielder Kagawa

By Can Erozden

ANKARA (AA) - Spanish football club Real Zaragoza transferred Japanese midfielder Shinji Kagawa from German club Borussia Dortmund on Friday.

"Real Zaragoza and Borussia Dortmund have reached an agreement about the transfer of footballer Shinji Kagawa, who joins the Zaragoza team with a contract for the next two seasons," the Spanish club said on its website.

The 30-year-old attacking midfielder's previous team Borussia Dortmund said “goodbye” to him on social media.

"Borussia Dortmund and Real Zaragoza have reached an agreement on the full transfer of Shinji Kagawa. After 7 amazing seasons in Dortmund, we say goodbye. Forever a Black and Yellow legend," Dortmund said in a Twitter post.

Kagawa will play in Spain's second-tier league, La Liga 2 this season as Real Zaragoza has been playing in this division since the 2013-14 football season.

He started his football career at Cerezo Osaka in Japan, then he moved to Borussia Dortmund in 2010.

England's Manchester United signed Kagawa in 2012 but he returned to Dortmund in 2014.

Kagawa joined Turkish team Besiktas in January 2019 on loan. He spent the half of this year in Istanbul but returned to Dortmund again when the Turkish football season ended.

Kagawa was a Dortmund player for seven seasons, scoring 60 goals and producing 55 assists in 216 appearances for the German club.

He won back-to-back German Bundesliga titles in 2011 and 2012.

The Japanese international also helped Manchester United win the English Premier League title in 2013.