Portugal's Petit smells success at new club Cologne BJul 30, 1:20 pm EDT ERLIN (AFP) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Portugal midfielder Petit signed a two-year contract with newly promoted Bundesliga side Cologne on Wednesday, after joining from Portuguese side Benfica on a free transfer. The 31-year-old defensive midfielder, who announced his retirement from international football after last month's Euro 2008, had a medical examination and was unveiled as a Cologne player. "We wanted such a player to show Cologne's intentions to go forward and he will do a good job for us," said Cologne coach Christoph Daum at a press conference. "There was also interest shown in him from the Premier League, the French first division and the Russian market." Having spent all of his career in Portugal, German tabloid Bild report Petit - whose full name is Armando Goncalves Teixeira - is expected to make 1.5 million euros (2.3 million US dollars) per season in Cologne. According to sources close to Cologne, Petit intervened in the contract negotiations personally and comes on a free transfer after asking Benfica's director of sport Rui Costa to be released from his contract. That contract was set to run until 2010, but was terminated and he has signed a two-year deal with Cologne with the option of a third year. "I always wanted to play in a different league and to try a new league out," he said. "Benfica have given me so much and I am grateful, but I believe in the project in Cologne. This is the contract of my life." Having signed for Cologne, the Portugal international gave his first words of German in a press release. "I am pleased to play at Cologne," he wrote. "I have a family living between Strasbourg and Luxembourg and they are all Cologne fans now." Petit is the sixth new player Cologne have recruited after Brazilian defender Pedro Geromel, Cameroon defender Pierre Wome, striker Wilfried Sanou, Slovenian midfielder Miso Brecko and Nigerian striker Manasseh Ishiaku. --

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