Former A-League stars sign for NPL club

Former A-League stars Brendan Santalab and Carl Valeri may have called quits on their professional football careers but they haven't hung up the boots for good.

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The pair have signed on with struggling NPL Victoria side Dandenong City and will be determined to get the cellar dwellers off the bottom of the ladder.

Joining Santalab and Valeri will be fellow former A-League player Adrian Leijer who has also signed on at Dandenong City.

It was a heartbreaking end to Santalab's A-League career after the striker fluffed a penalty kick for Perth Glory in their grand final defeat to Sydney FC.

Santalab told the Illawarra Mercury his decision to sign with the NPL club was an easy one.

"There is only one way I know how to deal with the disappointment of the grand final, and that's putting the boots on again and getting back out there," he said.

Former Victory captain Valeri had a similarly disappointing end to his professional career with a 6-1 loss to Sydney FC in the A-League semi-final and an AFC Champions League loss to Sanfrecce Hiroshima.

Santalab, Valeri and Leijer could all make their debuts for Dandenong City against Avondale FC.