Jose Antonio quits Borussia Monchengladbach

Experienced defender becomes free agent

Portuguese defender Jose Antonio, known as Ze Antonio, is a free agent after rescinding his contract with German club Borussia Monchengladbach.

The 31-year-old defender, who made the switch to the Bundesliga in 2005 from Academica, reached a mutual agreement with club officials to release him a year early from his contract, which was due to run until the summer of 2009.

Borussia MG spent last season in the second tier of German football, but Ze Antonio was unhappy at playing outside the top flight and did not make a single appearance for the club during the campaign. After failing to feature in the first half of the season, he was loaned out to Turkish outfit Vestel Manisaspor in January.

In his absence, Gladbach secured a swift return to the Bundesliga, but the club announced on Thursday that they had agreed to a request from the player to waive the final year of his deal, leaving him a free agent this summer.

A Lisbon native, Ze Antonio came through the ranks at local club Torreense, going on to enjoy spells at Leca FC, Alverca and Varzim, before moving on to Academica in 2003. The defender also spent a brief period with FC Porto during the 2000/01 season, but struggled to make an impact.