Team Profile
Being India’s footballing mecca, it is no surprise that Kolkata quickly embraced the Hero Indian Super League. The “City of Joy” was the first ISL city to officially announce its team, christened Atlético de Kolkata. The name comes from the team’s partnership with current Spanish champions Atlético de Madrid, who are part-owners of the club, along with Kolkata’s favourite son, cricketing legend Sourav Ganguly. Premier city businessmen Harshavardhan Neotia, Sanjiv Goenka, and Utsav Parekh also hold stakes in the team.
On the footballing side, Atlético de Kolkata have set about ensuring that the city, which is home to some of the oldest and most successful clubs in Indian football, will have an ISL team which can follow in Kolkata’s proud footballing tradition. They announced former Spanish defender and veteran manager Antonio López Habas as the club’s head coach, while Kolkata football legend Jose Barreto will serve as an assistant coach.
The team have also signed Luis García, the ex-Atlético de Madrid, Barcelona, and Liverpool striker who was instrumental in Liverpool’s Champions League-winning campaign in 2004-05, as its marquee player. García and his teammates will be mesmerising crowds at the famous Salt Lake Stadium.
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