The 25-year-old attacking midfielder fills the gap in the roster left by Fred's departure to DC United.

Victory Coach Ernie Merrick was delighted with the signing of Hernandez, who represented Costa Rica at the 2006 World Cup in Germany and the 2004 Athens Olympic Games.

"At just 25, Carlos is still an up and coming player, but already he's achieved so much in his career," he said.

"In just 17 appearances for the Costa Rican national side, he's scored six goals, which is a fantastic return from a midfielder in international football. He scored twice in a World Cup qualifier against the United States to send Costa Rica to Germany last year, so what we're dealing with here is a player of enormous pedigree who is still yet to reach his prime.

"For Carlos to choose Melbourne Victory over a number of established clubs in Europe is quite a feather in the cap of the Hyundai A-League."

Victory Football Operations Manager Gary Cole added: "Hernandez is a current international in the prime of his career, and still with enormous potential and a fantastic future ahead of him.

"He was blown away by the Hyundai A-League 2007 Grand Final, both in terms of the playing standard, but more importantly, the size and quality of the crowd.

"He sees Melbourne Victory as an outstanding opportunity to progress his career to the next level.

"We've strengthened our full back positions with Joseph Keenan and Matthew Kemp and gained a defensive star by the name of Ljubo Milicevic. With the addition of Carlos, we believe our starting line-up has improved on last season.

"And the inclusion of our three Under-20 players Mitchell Langerak, Evan Berger and Leigh Broxham to the squad shows that we are determined to build for the future, as well as for the season ahead."

Hernandez is expected to arrive in Melbourne in three weeks and should join the squad in time for the 2007 Pre-Season Cup, which begins on July 15 in Launceston against Adelaide United.

Former Central Coast player Dean Heffernan has turned his back on some lucrative European offers to sign on with the Mariners until the completion of the 2010 season.

Heffernan starred for the Mariners during their inaugural season in the Hyundai A-League, scoring eight goals in 31 matches, before playing with German Bundesliga club FC Nurnberg during 2006.

Sportal