Xtra Time Web Desk: Emami East Bengal FC on Wednesday appointed former Hero Indian Super League (ISL) winner Dimas Delgado as their Assistant Coach on a two-year contract. The 40- year-old will assist the club’s new Head Coach Carles Cuadrat, under whose stewardship he played for Bengaluru FC in the past. The former Spanish midfielder won the Hero ISL title with BFC in the 2018-19 season after helping the Blues finish runners-up in his maiden season in India a year before. In fact, it was off Mr Delgado’s corner kick that Rahul Bheke scored the winner for BFC against FC Goa in the 2018-19 Hero ISL final under Cuadrat.
Delgado, a UEFA A license holder, expressed his elation at joining Emami East Bengal FC. He said, “I got my coaching licenses while playing in Spain. I wanted to get into coaching and have tried to learn from all the coaches I’ve had in my professional career. Now that my professional playing career is over, I feel it’s an amazing opportunity for me to be at a club like East Bengal and work alongside Coach Carles and Coach Bino, who have immense knowledge and experience. I’ve played under him in the past and we share a common philosophy and understanding of the game.”
Delgado was a vital cog in BFC’s midfield during his four-year Hero ISL stint between 2017 and 2021, registering 4 goals, 14 assists, 198 tackles, 83 interceptions and 74 clearances in 67 matches. A product of the FC Gramenet academy, Delgado was part of Pep Guardiola’s FC Barcelona B from 2006 to 2008 before joining CD Numancia, where he made his La Liga debut in 2008.