Let’s take a look at their foreign players for the coming season !!
1.HECTOR RODAS – SPAIN (33) – CB
Hector Rodas is a 33 year old Spanish Centre Back standing at 1.91m height who is a natural leader at the back with exceptional defensive qualities. He is a youth product of Spanish side Levante UD having 38 appearances to his name in Laliga for them. His career revolved around the three tiers of Spanish football with 120 appearances in Laliga2 to his name. He was part of Belgium first division side Cercle Brugge but never booted for them. Rodas is incredibly good in defensive attributes, and he is an aggressive player who uses his physical advantage to mark of the players in the field. Odisha FC will surely have a man at the back with an aggressive mentality to trust and guide them throughout the season.
2.VICTOR MONGIL – SPAIN (29) – CB/DM
Mongil is not an unfamiliar name to ISL as he had previously lofted the coveted ISL trophy with ATK in 2019-20 sesaon. Coming through the youth system of Spanish side Real Valladolid CF, Mongil’s career mainly revolved around the Spanish third division sides like the youth sides of top Spanish top clubs such as Athletico Madrid B, Levante UD B and other teams. With about 144 appearances in 3rd division, his first exposure out of Spain was with a Georgian top side Dinamo Tbilisi where he has made 68 appearances including Europa League qualifying round for them. He is a solid player with good defensive instincts as well as technical quality able to compose himself throughout 90 minutes with strong decision-making capabilities. A player like him up on the cards for Odisha will be an asset for them in staying on track for the season.
3.JAVI HERNANDEZ – SPAIN (32) – AM/WINGER/DM
Another familiar name up on the cards for Odisha FC whose intentions are clear for the season with two ISL winning players like Javi and Mongil. Javi Hernandez is a familiar name who has made a name for himself due to his incredible versatility he posses being able to suit in any position on field. Javi has played in every position apart from being a wingback and it was not different in Indian soil too. His title winning campaign saw him being used as a DM where in last season he was mainly a LM. His incredible eye for goals and assist makes him even more dangerous as a player. Javi came through the youth system of Real Madrid having 34 appearances for RM Castilla. In just 19 years, he was part of Swedish first division side Halmstads BK. His experience as a player with a stellar number of 284 appearance before coming to ISL which includes playing in Spanish third division, first divisions of Romania, Poland and Azerbaijan. He has 37 appearances to his name in ISL with 3 goals and 9 assists. A player like him in squad will boost the Odisha FC team to a higher level than previous season.
4.LIRIDON KRASNIQI – MALAYSIA (29) – AM/CM
Standing at 1.92m height, Lirdion arrives at Odisha FC as their Asian quota player where he becomes the first Malaysian player to play in ISL. He is currently Malaysian International who recently debuted for them against UAE. Interestingly he also represented Kosovo in senior team and Albania in U-21 category. His career mainly revolved around the Turkish lower division leagues, Malaysia first division and recently he played for Australian A-League side Newcastle Jets from where he is coming from now. His career stats showing he hasn’t played many matches in his career throughout where total match number is below 110 matches, but he is a physically dominant and technically sound player who mainly plays as an AM and CM who likes to orchestrate the field of play. His expertise on good ball control, dribbling and ability to initiate counter attacks makes him dangerous on the field. Liridon’s presence is a booster for Odisha FC in terms of changing tactical scenarios of game and using him when needed.
5.ARIDAI CABRERA – SPAIN (33) – RW/CF/LW
Aridai Cabrera is a man to look out for in this ISL season. He is coming straight from Laliga2 side UD Las Palmas. His career statistics show a stellar number of 403 matches in total where he has scored 82 and assisted 12 goals. He is a UD Las Palmas youth product who has played 251 and 115matches in Laliga third division and Segunda division respectively. He has made his mark for top Spanish sides like RCD Mallorca, Girona FC, UD Las Palmas etc. He was a regular starter in everywhere he has played, and his incredible number shows his quality as a player. He mainly plays as a RW who has also suit in as a CF, LW, RM equally. His blistering pace and dribbling with penetration abilities make him a dangerous opponent to deal with for any oppositions. He is also known for his good positioning sense, shooting, and finishing. Undoubtedly, he is one of top signings in this seasons ISL and Odisha has got a match winner in their hands.
6.JONATHAS DE JESUS – BRAZIL (32) – CF
Another top buy by Odisha FC for the season in the name of Jonathas De Jesus, Brazilian Centre Forward standing at 1.92m tall. He is a big name in ISL this year by just looking at his profile showing he had made his mark in top football leagues in the world including Italian Serie A, Laliga, Bundesliga, Eredivise. He also played for Brazil Serie A, Russian Premier Liga, and UAE Pro League. His career records show he is a natural goal scorer with strong physical attributes and pace. He posses good heading abilities and aggressive nature in front of goal. Important point to note in his career that he is an injury prone player with history of various injuries which was one of the reasons why he was not able to consistently be part of top leagues. Keeping that aside, his experience in playing for clubs like Elche FC, Brescia, Rubin Kazan, Hannover, Real Sociedad, AZ Alkmaar, Torino with an overall career number of 286 matches with 101 goals and 32 assists to his name.
✒️ ~RONIN~
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