Manolo Marquez was appointed as the new head coach of the Indian men’s football team by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) on July 20. Marquez will take over as the full-time national team head coach after ISL 2024-25.
Who is Manolo Marquez?
From Barcelona, Spain, Marquez has a stellar record of coaching in India. In his first stint, he transformed underdogs Hyderabad FC into ISL champions before he took over at Goa. Last season, Goa finished third in the league and reached the semifinals of the playoffs. Before coming to India, Marquez had extensive experience coaching in Spain at clubs like Las Palmas (in La Liga), and Las Palmas B, Espanyol B, Badalona, Prat, Europa (third division). The 55-year-old Spaniard will take over the role immediately. However, Marquez, who is currently serving as the head coach of Indian Super League (ISL) side FC Goa, will simultaneously continue to fulfil his club commitments till the 2024-25 season ends.
His contribution
Marquez has been coaching in India since 2020 and has been on the touchline for Hyderabad FC and the Gaurs for more than 100 matches. The Spanish coach managed Hyderabad for three seasons and won the ISL title with them in 2022 before switching to FC Goa ahead of the 2023-24 season. He has also coached in Thailand and Croatia during his 22-year coaching career.
The best man for the job
He is the best man for the job. In these very pages, Marquez had been dubbed as a ‘pure fantasy’ choice, given his role with FC Goa, but AIFF have made that a reality. Marquez brings with him a wealth of experience in developing young Indian players. The likes of Liston Colaco, Akash Mishra, Asish Rai, Jay Gupta, Nikhil Poojary and more all blossomed under him in the ISL and went on to feature for the Indian national team. Marquez has never been shy in blooding young players (and sticking with them) – given the generation of Indian footballers coming through, Marquez seems an ideal choice.
