After protracted negotiations, Melbourne Victory have announced the signing of star Japanese midfielder Keisuke Honda.

Honda — who played 98 times for Japan before announcing his retirement from international duty after this year's World Cup — is the biggest signing for the A-League since David Villa's controversial four game stopover at cross-town rivals Melbourne City in 2014.

The snaring of the former AC Milan star will undoubtedly provide a much-needed boost to a competition desperate for an injection of positive publicity.

Loading

There has been plenty of talk about potential marquee signings during the off season, but prior to this morning's announcement, none had stuck, with Andres Iniesta and Fernando Torres both heading to the J-League.

Despite recent talk of Usain Bolt — and the column inches that speculation generated around the world — Honda is by far the more sensible choice for the league's credibility.

Importantly, Honda is neither a gimmick, nor an ageing star looking for one last payday before retirement.

At 32 years of age, Honda is still in his prime and has plenty to offer to both Victory and the A-League.

After a tough four years in Serie A with AC Milan — in which the midfielder both struggled to make an impact and for game time — Honda rediscovered his best form in Mexico's Liga MX with Pachuca.

Taking the time to adjust to the different style of play and language barrier in the first half of the season, Honda excelled in the second half of the year, scoring seven of his 10 goals and providing seven assists — the second most in the league.

Victory coach Kevin Muscat and chairman Anthony Di Pietro both emphasised the footballing aspect of Honda's signing when speaking at a Fox Sports press conference on Monday morning, but there are also other factors at work.

"It's easy to get caught up, but the reality is that it was a football decision first," Muscat said.

"I looked at our squad and Keisuke was someone from a football perspective where I could say, 'He's going to make us better'."

Di Pietro was less circumspect, linking the signing as a significant vote of confidence in the A-League and the sport as a whole.

"We want to take the game on as a club and the timing was perfect from an investment perspective.

"We're very positive. This sport is only just beginning. We believe in it, and we're putting our money down on the table."

Melbourne Victory used funds from the FFA player marquee fund to help secure the Honda deal. ( AAP: James Ross )

A gateway to Asia

A-League boss Greg O'Rourke — who said Honda was one of "two or three names" the League were pursuing over the last few months — cut straight to the heart of the matter when introducing the press conference — Asia.

"It's tremendous to have Honda here in the A-League, a player with so much talent, international profile not just in Japan, but broader Asia and globally," he said.

"Asia is our neighbour. It's fantastic we're taking this next step to bring Asia to the A-League."

Keisuke Honda at a glance Club history: 2004-2007: Nagoya Grampus (Japan)

2004-2007: Nagoya Grampus (Japan) 2007-2009: VVV-Venlo (Netherlands)

2007-2009: VVV-Venlo (Netherlands) 2009-2014: CSKA Moscow (Russia)

2009-2014: CSKA Moscow (Russia) 2014-2017: AC Milan (Italy)

2014-2017: AC Milan (Italy) 2017-2018: Pachuca (Mexico)

2017-2018: Pachuca (Mexico) 2018-present: Melbourne Victory (Australia)

2018-present: Melbourne Victory (Australia) 2008-2018: International career with Japan (98 caps, 37 goals)

Asia is not just Australia's neighbour, from a footballing perspective at least, Australia is a key part of Asia and the Asian Football Confederation.

Australia joined the AFC in 2006 but has arguably contributed little in the intervening 12 years other than take one of the confederation's four World Cup qualification slots.

Honda's signing though represents a significant opportunity for the league to make a bigger impact on the Asian market.

For the first time since he left Nagoya Grampus in 2007, one of Japanese football's favourite sons — and most marketable individuals — will be playing in a time zone favourable to Japanese audiences.

Honda may also play club football in Japan for the first time in over a decade thanks to the erstwhile neglected (as far as most Australian supporters are concerned) AFC Champions League, in which the Victory will participate in 2019.

Crowds may not be impacted in Australia, but in Asia, Honda's presence will undoubtedly result in sell-out signs being placed outside ticket booths wherever he is expected to play.

The A-League does not have a broadcast partner for Japan according to their website. Expect that anomaly to be high on O'Rourke's agenda ahead of the season opener on October 20.

"I couldn't believe it because I am a Japanese and I never thought that I would play in Australia in my career," Honda said in a pre-recorded interview with Fox Sports.

That is possibly a surprising, yet reasonable claim.

Loading

After all, Honda is set to become just the 13th player from Japan to lace up his boots in the A-League.

For a football-mad country that is a relatively near neighbour, that is a damning statistic.

He is not the first high-profile Japanese to play in the league though — his international teammate Shinji Ono was poised to make a similar impact in 2012.

On the field that was certainly the case.

Ono was a key player as Western Sydney Wanderers surged to a maiden A-League Premiership in 2012/13, and followed it up with an extraordinary Asian Champions League title — the first and only time an Australia side to have done so.

But in terms of his wider impact, Ono was arguably a victim of circumstance.

Shinji Ono scored nine goals in 51 A-League appearances for Western Sydney Wanderers. ( AAP: Paul Miller )

Arriving at the same time and in the same city as Juventus legend Alessandro Del Piero — one of the highest profile marquee players to ever come to the A-League, despite being well past his best for Sydney FC at 37 years old — arguably softened his impact.

Not only that, but the Wanderers fairy-tale run under Tony Popovic relegated the Japanese striker's story to that of a footnote in what was an incredible chapter in the club's brief history.

As such, Ono's 51 games in the A-League never had the desired impact on a wider level and the promised influx of players and investment never materialised.

This time, Honda has clear air in which to make his impact — and it should be significant.

The challenge for the FFA will be just to harness his power to grow interest in the game and give the league the boost it so desperately needs.