East Bengal FC appoint former Bengaluru FC coach Carles Cuadrat on two-year contract

Former Bengaluru FC coach Carles Cuadrat has been roped in by East Bengal as their new head coach on a two-year contract.

Cuadrat, 54, began his coaching stint in India as the assistant coach with the Bengaluru FC (BFC) in 2016.

During his first spell in India between 2016 and 2018, BFC won the erstwhile Federation Cup followed by the inaugural edition of the Super Cup and became the first Indian team to reach the AFC Cup final.

In 2018, the Spaniard took over the reins as BFC's head coach, guiding them to their maiden Indian Super League (ISL) title in the 2018-19 season.

Under his stewardship, BFC became the first team in ISL history to top the league and win the trophy in the same year. The following season, Cuadrat led the Blues to the playoffs again.

Under Cuadrat, BFC set many club records. In the 2018-19 season, the Blues had an 11-match unbeaten run (including six consecutive wins), previously a record for the longest unbeaten streak in the ISL.

His tenure as BFC's head coach also coincided with the club's 17-match unbeaten streak at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium, the longest such run recorded by an ISL Club at home.

BFC also registered their biggest-ever win under Cuadrat when they beat Paro FC 9-1 in the AFC Cup Qualifiers in February 2020.

A product of Barcelona's La Masia, Cuadrat played for FC Barcelona youth teams as a defender between 1978 and 1988. He was also part of the FC Barcelona team that won the U-19 Spanish Cup in 1986 and 1987.

Besides playing for FCB’s first team in two friendlies in 1988, Cuadrat also featured in the Spanish team that finished third in the 1985 UEFA European U-16 Championship.

After leaving India in the 2020-21 season, Cuadrat joined the Cypriot club Aris Limassol as an assistant coach and helped them reach the playoffs after being promoted to Cyprus’ first division. He was most recently working as an assistant coach at the Danish Superliga side FC Midtjylland.