ISL: East Bengal appoints Carles Cuadrat as head coach on two-year contract

Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], April 25 : East Bengal FC on Tuesday signed Carles Cuadrat as their head coach on a two-year contract.

Cuadrat previously managed Bengaluru FC and was the club's assistant coach when Albert Roca was in charge in 2016.

During his first stint in India, between 2016 and 2018, BFC won the former Federation Cup, and the inaugural Super Cup, and became the first Indian team to reach the AFC Cup final. In 2018, the Spard took over as Head Coach of BFC, helping them to their first ISL title in the 2018-19 season.BFC became the first side in ISL history to win the league and the trophy in the same year under his leadership. Mr Cuadrat guided the Blues back to the playoffs the following season. BFC set numerous Club records under Cuadrat's tenure.

During the 2018-19 season, the Blues went 11 games unbeaten (including 6 straight wins), breaking the Hero ISL record for the longest unbeaten streak.

His stint as Head Coach of BFC also coincided with the Club's 17-match unbeaten streak at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium, the longest such stretch by an ISL Club at home. BFC also recorded their biggest-ever win under Cuadrat in February 2020, when they defeated Paro FC 9-1 in the AFC Cup Qualifiers.

Carles was a defender for all of FC Barcelona's youth squads between 1978 and 1988. He was also a member of FC Barcelona's U-19 Spsh Cup winning teams in 1986 and 1987.

In addition to appearing in two friendlies for FCB's first squad in 1988, he was a member of the Spsh team that came third in the 1985 UEFA European U-16 Championship.

Cuadrat left India following the 2020-21 season to work as an assistant coach with the Cypriot club Aris Limassol, where he helped them reach the playoffs after being promoted to Cyprus' top division. He was most recently an Assistant Coach with FC Midtjylland of the Dsh Superliga.