xtratime Logo

Xtra Time Web Desk: Manolo Marquez has been appointed as the next head coach for the Indian men’s national football team. Marquez is currently the head coach of FC Goa in the Indian Super League (ISL), a position he took up in 2023. Prior to this, he worked for three seasons at Hyderabad FC, where he achieved significant success, including winning the club’s first ISL trophy in 2022. In addition to the trophy win, Marquez led Hyderabad FC to two runner-up finishes in the ISL Shield race.

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) technical committee invited applications for the head coach role last month after the federation decided to sack Igor Stimac following India's exit from the FIFA World Cup qualifiers in the second round.

Marquez’s appointment reflects his strong track record, not only in terms of results but also in developing young talent. Under his guidance in the ISL, several players such as Mohammed Yasir, Liston Colaco, Akash Mishra, Chinglesana Singh, Nikhil Poojary, and Jay Gupta have either made their debuts or returned to the national team.

Read More: Harbhajan Singh Puzzled by Exclusion of Samson and Abhishek from India’s Sri Lanka Tour Squad

Commenting on the development, AIFF President Shri Kalyan Chaubey stated, “We are delighted to welcome Mr. Marquez to this important role and are also thankful to FC Goa for their generosity of releasing him for national duty. We look forward to working with Mr. Marquez in the years ahead. The AIFF, FC Goa, and Mr. Marquez will collaborate closely to ensure there is minimal impact between the two jobs and strive to achieve the best possible results for all involved.”

Responding to the appointment Mr. Marquez said, “It's an honour for me to be the National Football Team coach of India, a country I consider my second home. India and its people are something I feel attached to and I feel a part of since I first came to this beautiful country. I want to do my best to bring success to the millions of fans we have. I am very grateful to FC Goa for allowing us the flexibility to help the national team during the coming season while I am still the club’s head coach. I'm grateful to the AIFF for this opportunity and we hope to do great things for football.”

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Manolo Marquez appointed head coach of Senior Men’s National Team! <br><br>Read full details here ???????? <a href="https://t.co/iUUMAwB8vk">https://t.co/iUUMAwB8vk</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IndianFootball?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#IndianFootball</a> ⚽️ <a href="https://t.co/Ni9beyul8B">pic.twitter.com/Ni9beyul8B</a></p>&mdash; Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) <a href="https://twitter.com/IndianFootball/status/1814642397181043115?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 20, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Aged 55, Manolo Marquez has extensive knowledge and experience of Indian football and coaching national team players, especially youngsters. Many national team players in the last few years were called up from his Hyderabad FC team.

Read More: Why did Harbhajan Singh slamed a Pakistani journalist? Find out

Marquez has been coaching in India since 2020. He has coached two ISL clubs – his first stint was with Hyderabad FC (2020-23), before he switched over to FC Goa (2023-present). He is an ISL Cup winner with Hyderabad FC in 2021-22. Overall, Marquez had an extensive coaching career in Spain – Las Palmas (top division) and Las Palmas B, Espanyol B, Badalona, Prat, Europa (third division).

This appointment marks a new chapter for Indian football, with hopes that Marquez’s expertise and experience will help elevate the national team's performance on the international stage.