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Socceroos star Jackson Irvine has joined Japanese club Cerezo Osaka, ending his five-year stint at German side St. Pauli. Irvine technically hasn’t signed a contract yet, but Cerezo confirmed that will officially happen after the 33-year-old obtains a work visa. The club did not confirm how long the deal is for, nor did they announce the financial terms. Immediately after St. Pauli were relegated from the Bundesliga at the end of last season, Irvine committed to sticking with the club, saying, “my contract runs for another year and I’m staying. This is my home, this club is so special to me.” But the intervening months, which included a World Cup campaign in which the experienced midfielder was initially dropped by Socceroos coach Tony Popovic before working his way back into the starting XI, clearly saw Irvine have a change of heart. The writing appeared to be on the wall when, in mid-July, St Pauli’s sporting director Andreas Bornemann had this to say about the Australian: “With Jacko, it’s about the question of in what condition he arrives here to make his contribution,” Bornemann said. TRANSFER CENTRE: All the confirmed deals for Australian players in this transfer window TRANSFER NEWS LIVE BLOG: The latest rumours and transfer updates “It’s not just about the physical condition, but also the mental condition – that he continues to get involved here as he has done in the past. “Ideally, such things are discussed when you are sitting together at the table – and not on the phone while the player is on vacation.” Those conversations were had, with Bornemann now revealing what the outcome of them was. “When he came back from the World Cup, Jackson approached us with the request to make a move to Japan possible,” Bornemann said. “We’d like to thank Jacko for his commitment over the last few years and wish him and his family all the best for the future.” Irvine’s move to Japan will see him play his club football outside of Europe for the first time, having moved to the UK to join Scottish giants Celtic while still a teenager. He now joins fellow Socceroos veteran Mitch Duke in the J-League, where other Australians such as Tete Yengi, Jason Geria, Thomas Deng and Eli Adams also play. “I’m incredibly excited to be coming to the hottest football nation in the world and joining a new league and a club with huge potential,” Irvine said in his official statement. “I hope I can use my experience and quality to help the team become even better. I’m also looking forward to experiencing a new culture and a new way of life. Let’s achieve success together!” Irvine leaves fellow Aussies Connor Metcalfe and Sam Klein behind at St. Pauli, though there have also been indications that Metcalfe could be headed for the exit soon as well. NEWSLETTER: Get football news delivered direct to your inbox with Football360 Daily. SIGN UP HERE FOR FREE >