Breaking: Dundee United secure services of 30-year-old North Macedonian international.

Despite being born in Skopje, David Babunski relocated to Catalonia to begin his football career at the world’s most prominent academy, La Masia of FC Barcelona.

Seven formative years playing alongside future stars like as Alejandro Grimaldo, Gerard Deulofeu, and Adama Traoré preceded his move to adult football with the club’s B squad, which competed at the top of the Spanish second tier. He established himself as a regular starter in the following three league seasons, as well as being frequently capped for his country at the U-21 level.

In January 2016, his decade-long affiliation with La Blaugrana came to an end, with Balkan powerhouses Red Star Belgrade eventually acquiring his services. A brief tenure in Serbia resulted in his first taste of silverware, as he was a member of the squad that won a historic 27th SuperLiga title at the Rajko Mitic Stadium.

This victory led to a Europa League Qualifying match against Italian club Sassuolo, in which Babunski had a brief appearance from the bench.

Following his departure from Red Star, he got the opportunity to work under future Celtic and Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou during an enlightening period in Japan with Yokohama F Marinos and later Omija Ardiya, before returning to Eastern Europe to briefly ply his trade in Romania.

After relocating to Hungary following the COVID-19 Pandemic, he played for Debrecen alongside his brother, Dorian, earning 24 matches in the 2021/22 season as the club maintained its top-flight position.

A good year with DVSC drew other suitors, including Merkantil Bank Liga opponents Mezokövesdi Sport Egyesület, where the 30-year-old appeared 47 times over two seasons before being called up by the Terrors in the summer.

Our new number ten has appeared in 15 senior matches on the international level. His competitive debut came against a Scotland team that had Scottish Cup-winning hero Craig Conway in the matchday lineup, as the nations competed for a spot in the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Babunski is still a common figure on the national team 10 years later, with his most recent appearance in red and yellow coming at Wembley Stadium in June 2023.

He becomes only the second North Macedonian to wear a tangerine jersey, following the signing of fellow countryman Kristijan Trapanovski earlier in the window, and is eligible to play in this evening’s Premier Sports Cup Group B match against Stenhousemuir.

“David’s pedigree is unquestionable, having enjoyed a footballing education second to none with Barcelona”, began United boss Jim Goodwin when queried on the ins and outs of the deal.

“His subsequent career has demonstrated both his versatility to adapt to several different cultures, on and off the park, and his quality to remain at the top level.

“He’s a player we’ve had on our radar for an extended period of time, so to introduce him to the training group was extremely gratifying. During the session, he reaffirmed the reasons why we brought him to the club immediately, showing an immense level of technical ability and desire to impress.

“I’m delighted to have him as part of the squad and eagerly anticipate his positive impact on the squad as a whole.”

Babunski himself added “I’m deeply grateful for the trust the club has placed in me. I was patiently waiting for this to be finalised, and delayed the response to other offers in the process because I’ve been eagerly awaiting an opportunity such as this.

“Coming to a country where the football culture is massive and the standard of the league is high are some of the things that enticed me, and I can already feel the magnitude of the club.

He concluded: “It’s going to be a great challenge for me – the expectations for this season are high, as they should be, and we have to believe we can do something special.”