After a global search, Melbourne Victory is pleased to announce the appointment of Paulo Cardoso as the club's Academy Director.

Cardoso, from Portugal, boasts more than two decades of experience as a coach, technical director, professional scout and player development expert.

The appointment of Cardoso demonstrates the club's commitment to the development of an elite academy.

Along with its A-League program, the club currently runs a senior and under-20 team in the PlayStation 4 NPL Victoria competition featuring players aged between 15 and 19, as well as teams in the Foxtel National Youth League and Westfield W-League.

"Paulo's appointment as Academy Director is a crucial step for Melbourne Victory as we continue to develop plans for our football academy," said Victory CEO Ian Robson.

"Paulo has incredible experience in player development, scouting and coaching all over the world, over a sustained period of time.

"He has excellent leadership skills, a proven ability to recruit and develop players to a world-class standard, and a football network which extends to over 40 countries.

"These are all attributes that are important to the success of our academy, which we see as critical to the further growth and prosperity of Melbourne Victory."

Cardoso is best known for his time at Portuguese club Sporting Lisbon, where he spent over a decade specialising in coaching, scouting and player development.

In the past few years, he furthered his experience in talent development through roles in South Africa, Brazil and Saudi Arabia.

Throughout his career he has recruited, developed and coached a number of world-class footballers, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Nani, Eric Dier and Ricardo Quaresma.

"I'm excited about this opportunity to join Melbourne Victory and I'm looking forward helping the club establish its football academy," Cardoso said.

"Through my experience in developing footballers overseas, I understand the importance of clubs having an elite pathway for player development.

"I’m looking forward to working with the key football staff, current youth team coaches and, more broadly, key club executives and external stakeholders to start to bring the project together."