Who is Gerard Zaragoza new Bengaluru FC coach, biography, age, playing style, tactics, stats

Indian Super League club Bengaluru FC have secured Gerard Zaragoza as their new head coach, find out more about him and his career below along with his playing style

Notably, Zaragoza was part of Bengaluru’s ISL-winning squad of 2018-19 as the assistant coach to Carles Cuadrat.

Who is Gerard Zaragoza new Bengaluru FC coach, biography, age, playing style, tactics, stats and teams coached

.@bengalurufc have appointed 🇪🇸 tactician @gerardzaragoza as their 🆕 head coach!🔥👊🏼

🎨 : #BengaluruFC #ISL #ISL10 #LetsFootball #ISLonJioCinema #ISLonSports18 | @Sports18 pic.twitter.com/RrJSfQwGq5

— Indian Super League (@IndSuperLeague) December 14, 2023

🚨 | EXCL : Bengaluru FC are closing in on the appointment of Gerard Zaragoza as their new head coach, the Spanish tactician was formerly assistant coach at BFC under Carles 🇪🇸🔵 #IndianFootball pic.twitter.com/zVDp7CcEP5

— 90ndstoppage (@90ndstoppage) December 9, 2023

Notably, Argentinian Sebastian Vega, who previously served as part of Zaragoza’s backroom staff, will serve as his assistant coach.

Bengaluru FC hire Gerard Zaragoza as new head coach

Bengaluru Football Club announced on Thursday that they have secured Spanish tactician Gerard Zaragoza as the club’s new head coach. According to the announcement, Gerard has signed a deal that will last until the end of the 2024–25 season. The announcement comes just after the club decided to part ways with Englishman Simon Grayson with mutual consent. The decision came after the team lost 4-0 to Mumbai City FC on Friday. Club owner and director, Parth Jindal, stated:

I would like to welcome Gerard back to Bengaluru FC. Over the last five years, Gerard has had stints as Head Coach in top leagues across Asia. Through his time away, he has been in touch with us, and expressed a deep desire to return and give back to the club that gave him his first silverware in a coaching role.”

Jindal further shared how he is confident that Gerard will bring back the brand of football that the team has grown used to in the past. He further added that Gerard possesses good tactical nous and has also played an instrumental role in improving young players. He ended the statement by wishing him the best for the rest of this season.

Meanwhile, Gerard Zaragoza stated the following about his new role, stating:

This is a football club that I hold close to my heart, and the decision to return to this family has been the easiest one to make. I know the circumstances in which I am arriving at the club are extremely difficult, but also very challenging. I am sure that with the right direction, this club can get back to where it belongs. I can’t wait to arrive in India and begin work with the players and the staff.”

Gerard Zaragoza bio

Gerard Zaragoza Mulet is a Spanish professional football manager who was born on February 20, 1982, in Sant Jaume d’Enveja, Spain. He is the newly hired head coach of the popular Indian Super League club Bengaluru FC. He is a former youth footballer and has managed several clubs at different levels in the past.

Age

Gerard is currently 41 years old.

Gerard Zaragoza career and stats

Gerard Zaragoza started out as a youth footballer before eventually foraying into managing clubs. He started out by managing the Catalonia U14s and U16s before being named as the Head Coach of RCD Espanyol’s Cadete squad in 2011. The Spaniard then moved to Erovnuli Liga 2, where he managed Locomotive Tbilisi in 2012, helping them secure promotion to Liga 1 the following year.

After multiple stints in Georgia and Qatar, Zaragoza got hired as the assistant coach to Carles Cuadrat in 2018. He helped Bengaluru FC secure the 2018–19 ISL title. Following the end of a successful season, he got hired as head coach at Shabab Al-Ahli Dubai FC’s U21s. He eventually went on to manage the first team, helping them secure a quarterfinal finish in the AFC Champions League. Zaragoza then had some brief stints at Greek side Panserraikos and, most recently, at Emirati UAE Pro League club Khor Fakkan Club.

His record is not too much to write home about, though as he’s not garnered more than two points per game in any of his previous jobs.

However, as coach of Emirati side Shabab Al-Ahli FC, he did take them through to the knockout stages of the AFC Champions League in 2019-20.

He has also only been a head coach for 31 matches at senior level in his career. In Zaragoza’s preferred 4-2-3-1 style, Javi Hernandez would be the #10 behind Main, and Chhetri could be the one starting from the left.

Career stats

Given below are Gerard Zaragoza’s career stats:

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