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Mohun Bagan has confirmed the signing of Spanish footballer Francisco Javier Gonzalez for the 2019-20 I-League. The Central Defensive Midfielder hails from Cordoba, in Spain and played most of his club career in Europe. The club confirmed the recruitment via a post on its official Twitter handle on Saturday.
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Javier started his club career with Almeria B back in 2008, following which he played several Spanish clubs like Estepona, Lucena, Deportivo B, Real Zaragoza, Cordoba B and Hercules.
More recently the footballer has started plying his trade in Asia. Last season, he was part of Lee Man FC which competes in the Hong Kong Premier League. The Spaniard scored the winning goal and inspired his previous team to a Hong Kong Spaling Cup triumph, the first ever trophy won by Lee Man FC.
Fresh from his heroics in Hong Kong, Javier will try to re-create something similar for the century-old club in Kolkata. The 30-year-old may not have serious problems adapting in this part of the world, thanks to his short stints in Hong Kong and also Thailand, where he played for Pattaya United FC.
This is the third major signing for Mohun Bagan this season and also the third Spanish recruit, having already roped in defender Fran Morante and forward Salva Chamorro. The Mariners are set to get a touch of Spanish flair in the upcoming season, with new Coach Kibu Vicuna having already taken charge of the Kolkata based team.
After a dismal show in the I-League last year, the management re-assembled the team from scratch. With a new technical unit and a collection of hand-picked footballers at their disposal, it is expected that Mohun Bagan will pit up a much better fight for the championship in the upcoming season. The Kolkata giants will begin the new season with the Calcutta Football League followed by the Durand Cup.
