Indian Super League: Alexandre Guimaraes to Coach Mumbai City FC
lexandre Guimaraes was the head coach of the Costa Rica national team, leading the country past the qualifying stages of the 2002 and the 2006 FIFA World Cups.
Highlights
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Nicolas Anelka was the coach of Mumbai City FC in 2015
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Ranbir Kapoor is the co-owner of the club
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Alexandre Guimaraes will coach Mumbai City FC in 2016
Former Costa Rican midfielder Alexandre Henrique Borges Guimaraes would be the head coach of Indian Super League (ISL) outfit Mumbai City FC for the third season of the franchise-based football league. (Read more football stories here)
Guimaraes is known for his fine achievements as the head coach of the Costa Rica national squad, leading the country past the qualifying stages of the 2002 and the 2006 FIFA World Cups, a Mumbai City FC media release said on Tuesday.
He started coaching Costa Rican club Belen, then moved to Herediano in the summer of 1996, and had achieved good results with both teams.
Welcoming the signing, Mumbai City FC's owner and actor Ranbir Kapoor said, "We are extremely excited to have Alexandre on board with us. As a coach, and as a player, he has always shown great endearing and persistent traits, along with a winner's mentality, that resound with our beliefs at Mumbai City FC. We are very confident that he is a right fit for the club, and for this city.
On his appointment, Guimaraes said, "I have been coaching in Asia for a few years now and the Indian growth story is something that has caught my eye for quite a while. I was always keen to be a part of this massive football movement, and over my conversations with the club, I almost instantly knew that Mumbai City FC would be the perfect club for me to make my foray into Indian football.
"I am very excited about this new challenge and I hope, that together with the entire Mumbai City FC team, we deliver a successful season to the people of Mumbai," he added.
Guimaraes was on board with Saprissa, where he worked for several years, winning three national tournaments with them. He has also coached several teams internationally, such as Comunicaciones of Guatemala, Irapuato and Dorados de Sinaloa in Mexico and tasted success with teams like Al Wasl in the United Arab Emirates and Tiajin Teda in China.
His elder son, Celso Borges, is a player for the Costa Rican national team and Spanish club Deportivo de La Coruna in La Liga.
Mumbai City FC had failed to qualify for the play-offs in the first two seasons of the eight-team ISL.