Preparations for ISL 2017 are in full force and after two more teams have been added to the tournament which will enter its fourth edition, franchises are looking forward to adding the best of talents to their squads as well as the managerial team.
A couple of days ago we got to know about Hrithik Roshan-owned Pune City FC are closing in on signing Delhi Dynamos’ dynamic duo of Florent Malouda and Marcelinho Leite for their ISL 2017 campaign after the singing of NorthEast United’s top goal scorer Emiliano Alfaro.
Now, Mumbai City FC has announced that they are re-appointed Alexandre Guimaraes as their coach for ISL 2017, who took them to the top of the Indian Super League tally last year before the team faced a defeat against Atletico de Kolkata in their first ever semi-final.
On being retained by Mumbai City FC for ISL 2017, Alexandre Henrique said, “I’m very happy to continue. The support of the owners and management has been fabulous. The reception and love the players, as well as my staff, got from the supporters club was tremendous. We have achieved some of the objectives last year by reaching the semi-finals but I’d love to continue this project and finish the job for which I came here for.”
The 57-year-old ex-Costa Rican footballer represented his nation in 1990 FIFA World Cup and is best known for his achievements as the Head Coach of the Costa Rica National Squad as he led them past the qualifying stages of the FIFA World Cup in 2002 and 2006.
Alexandre Henrique Borges Guimarães started his coaching career with Belén, before moving to Herediano in summer 1996. He achieved good results with both teams. Alexandre Guimaraes’ success attracted Saprissa, for which he worked for several years, leading them to three national tournaments.
Alexandre also has international coaching experience, such as Irapuato and Dorados de Sinaloa in Mexico and Comunicaciones of Guatemala, however, he tasted huge success with teams like Tiajin Teda in China and Al Wasl in UAE.
As for Mumbai City FC, the franchise has witnessed a steady rise in ranking in last three years from being the No.7 team in 2014 to rising to the 6th position in the second Indian Super League edition before ending at the top in ISL 2016.
In ISL 2017, the Ranbir Kapoor-owned Mumbai City FC will be looking to grab the trophy and the Bollywood superstar seems confident enough to do that. After announcing Alexandre Guimaraes as his team’s head coach for ISL 2017, he said, “Getting a coach to come back for the upcoming season was a no-brainer. We were very happy with the team’s performances last season and the way he led the team on the field like a general and off the field like a father-figure, was commendable”.