All Whites striker Kosta Barbarouses will play his football for Greek club Panathinaikos next season.
Former Brisbane Roar forward Barbarouses, 22, joined Russian side Alania Vladikavkaz last year but has been loaned out to the Athens team as they look to qualify for the Champions League.
Panathinaikos finished second behind long-time rivals Olympiacos last season.
Barbarouses turned out 13 times for Alania last season, scoring twice.
He began his professional soccer career at the Wellington Phoenix, spending three years at the A-League franchise before moving to Brisbane Roar for the 2010-11 season.
He scored 12 goals in 33 appearances for the Roar as they went on to win the A-League crown, and is in the New Zealand squad for next month’s London Olympics.
Barbarouses’ Australia-based agent Ritchie Hinton told The World Game sports website that the loan deal was an excellent opportunity.
“It’s great preparation for him as he looks forward to playing in New Zealand’s World Cup qualifying campaign,” Hinton said.
“The initial move to Russia was a step in the right direction, even though he didn’t get the game time, he learned a lot from the experience.”