Record scorer Damjanovic leaves Hong Kong champions Kitchee

HONG KONG : Dejan Damjanovic, the Asian Champions League's all-time leading scorer, has left Hong Kong title winners Kitchee, the club announced on Thursday.

The 41-year-old, who scored a record 42 goals in the continental competition, parted ways with the club after the completion of his two-and-a-half year contract.

Damjanovic joined Kitchee from South Korea's Daegu FC having established himself as one of the leading strikers in Asian football during spells with FC Seoul, Beijing Guoan and Suwon Bluewings.

He surpassed the Asian Champions League's scoring record previously held by South Korea's Lee Dong-gook when he netted against Cerezo Osaka in a 2-1 loss in Thailand in June 2021 and went on to score four more times for Kitchee in the competition.

The former Montenegro international also helped Kitchee reach the last 16 of the Asian Champions League for the first time in the 2022 edition, where they were eliminated last August by BG Pathum United from Thailand.

Damjanovic scored 61 goals in 61 games in all competitions for Kitchee and finished as the Hong Kong Premier League's joint-leading scorer this season as the club won the league, the FA Cup and the Senior Shield.

He has yet to announce whether he will continue a professional career that started in 1998.