Les Murray called him Australia's most gifted. Now he's coming home

Sydney Olympic have pulled off one of the most intriguing signings of the NPL NSW season, luring former Australia youth international Panagiotis Armenakas back to the club where his football journey began.

The attacking midfielder returns to Australia for the first time since leaving as a teenager in 2010, joining an Olympic side fighting to preserve their top-flight status.

It is a homecoming more than 15 years in the making.

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Long before the moves to Italy, England, Greece, Belgium and the United States, Armenakas was a promising youngster in Sydney Olympic's academy. Few could have predicted just how remarkable his football journey would become.

The late Les Murray once described Armenakas as the most gifted player he had ever seen emerge from Australia.

As a child, he was photographed alongside Ronaldinho. Interest soon followed from some of Europe's biggest clubs, including Ajax, Manchester United and AC Milan.

Ultimately, it was Watford that brought him to Europe before a move to Serie A side Udinese saw him become the youngest Australian ever to sign for a club in one of Europe's top five leagues.

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At just 17, Armenakas was competing for opportunities alongside Italian legend Antonio Di Natale, future World Cup winner Rodrigo De Paul and current Manchester United midfielder Bruno Fernandes.

His career would later take him through clubs including Panathinaikos in Greece and Zulte Waregem in Belgium, while he also represented Greece at Under-17 level, the Joeys and Australia's Under-23 national team.

Most recently, the 27-year-old featured for Oakland Roots in the United States’ USL Championship - the country’s second tier.

Now, after a football journey spanning four countries and some of the game's biggest names, Armenakas is returning to where it all started.

The timing could hardly be more important. Sydney Olympic remain locked in a battle to avoid relegation from the NPL NSW, and the arrival of a player with Armenakas' pedigree provides a significant boost for the run home.

He is not the only new face at Olympic, who have also brought in Zac Zoricich, Seth Clark and Jok Akuien.