Thanks to this stint with FC Goa, Goan lads like Romeo or Rowilson Rodrigues are not only witnessing the Brazilian legend in flesh and blood, but are also soaking in the words of wisdom and techniques shared by Zico, the team’s marquee coach has on offer.

FC Goa’s Foreign Recruites

And of course there’s the other star French international and Arsenal star Robert Pires.
“Sometimes I can’t believe that I’m playing alongside Robert Pires and all these fantastic players. It’s a great learning for me on and off the field” said Romeo after his daily training session at Tilak Maidan, Vasco.

Over the last few weeks the boys at FC Goa have been going through rigorous training sessions under the expert eye of Zico. One of the finest players in the world in terms of strategy and professionalism, Zico has had an impressive coaching career since 2002 when he began coaching. And all the experience is bound to pay off for FC Goa and its players.

Said Portuguese FC Goa player Edgar Carvalho Figueria Marcelino, a former Portugal under-21 international, who rose through the ranks of the Sporting Lisbon academy, “It has been amazing training with the team. It has been especially great since we have a coach like Zico who was an exceptional player himself. Training with Zico is different every day. Some days he makes us train very rigorously and other days he just lets us be and lets us play our game, which is good since it helps us in understanding our game.” The well-travelled attacking midfielder has played in Spain, Netherlands, Cyprus, Morocco, and Oman, apart from his native Portugal before arriving into Goa.

Miguel Bruno Pereira Herlein echoed Edgar’s thoughts, “Zico has helped us a lot in improving our game. As and when we play he keeps giving us various tips on how we can improve. I think it’s a privilege that we are getting trained under him since he is such a great player. He has so much experience of coaching great teams and that experience is helping us a lot”.

After stops in Cyprus and Poland, as well as a brief return to Portugal, Pinheiro tasted success as part of the Maccabi Netanya team which earned promotion to Israel’s first division in 2013. Pinheiro has now made Goa his home for the next few weeks.

Haroon Amiri from Afghanistan who joined the squad three day ago said, “Being coached by Zico is a dream come true for any professional footballer. Its truly an honor”.

The post Training with Zico is a dream come true appeared first on Football Counter.

“I would love to go and see the Taj Mahal someday soon, after the league. India is a big country and I hope to see more of it,” Bengelloun says.

For now, when he is not being put through the practice drills, physio and workouts at the Tilak Maidan in Vasco, where team FC Goa trains, Bengelloun is content with Goan hospitality and showering from an elephant’s trunk!

“Goa is a beautiful place and I appreciate every moment here. We had the day off last week and I visited a spice farm with some of the team mates. It was wonderful. We had an elephant ride and a shower with the elephant. I absolutely feel in love with the beautiful animal. Coming from Paris, I’ve never been able to appreciate and enjoy nature like I’m doing in Goa. On my days off I’d like to see a little more of this beautiful state of Goa. I love discovering new places and would love to visit some more places if I can,” said Bengelloun thrilled at his off-day outing.

Bengelloun is a product of the academy run by popular French club Paris Saint-Germain, from where he played in various clubs across Switzerland, Spain, Greece, Cyprus, Bulgaria, along with his native country France.
The last club he played for, Mulhouse, was home to Arsene Wenger and Raymond Domenech as players.

Speaking about his current FC Goa stint, Bengelloun said: “It’s been a great experience so far. The players are excellent and we have gelled together well. I’m surprised by the footballing talent here in Goa and India. The field is good and the training has been coming along well. Everything has been fantastic. I feel wonderful to be part of FC Goa.”

About Zico, the clubs marquee coach, Bengelloun claimed it’s an “absolute pleasure” working with the Brazilian legend, who conducts practice sessions twice everyday.

“He’s been an amazing player himself. And he’s an excellent coach, having coached teams across the country. He has tremendous experience and we are lucky to be training under a coach of his stature. The week is busy with training and we are gearing up for the league matches” said Bengelloun, at the end of yet another grueling training session.

The post European journeyman is in awe of Goa, wants to see the Taj appeared first on Football Counter.