I-league champions Bengaluru FC on Wednesday announced the appointment of Albert Roca as their head coach after agreeing on a two-year deal with the former head coach of El Salvador national team.
This comes after the shock departure of Ashley Westwood at the end of May after three glorious years with the football club. Westwood who had been the coach of Bengaluru FC since its inception, managed to win two league titles in three years and also took The Blues to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Cup quarterfinals.
Roca’s first game would be a challenge when the Blues face Singaporean Tampines Rover in front of the home crowd on September 14.
Here’s a brief insight into Albert Roca’s career:
1. Roca was born in Granollers, Catalonia in north-west Spain and played most of his football as a central back in the Spanish second division League and managed only two starts in the La Liga for Real Zaragosa.
2. Before landing a job at India’s garden city, Roca was the head coach for the El Salvador national team for one year until recently.
3. Roca reached the pinnacle of success during his five years (2005-09) at FC Barcelona where he assisted legendary Dutchman Frank Rijkaard in the backroom operations. The legendary team went on to win the Champions League and many domestic honours.
4. He also played an assistive role to Rijkaard during his time at Galatasaray in 2009 and the Saudi national team in 2011.
5. He is considered to have played a pivotal role in launching Lionel Messi’s transition to the first team from the youth setup of La Masia.