Orlando Engelaar admits he was immediately intrigued when Melbourne Heart got in contact with him.
The 33-year old Dutch midfielder was officially unveiled as the Heart's newest marquee signing on Tuesday and told local media that he was interested in the A-League as soon as John Aloisi and co. came calling.
"When Melbourne Heart came in they intrigued me with what they wanted, so I wanted to be a part of that," Engelaar said.
"They showed me they really wanted me; they made me see I could be important in areas for the other boys and bring something extra to the team.
"That's what really excited me, I wanted to be a part of that.
"I've got a lot of responsibility with the team, to help the guys, so I want to do well."
During his career, Engelaar has played in his homeland with NAC Breda, FC Twente and PSV Eindhoven, in Belgium with RacingGenk and in Germany with Schalke. He has also represented Holland on 14 occasions.
