Panaji: As he gets dragged out of the dressing room by the team’s media coordinator for yet another interview, Ferran Corominas wonders whether it was worth scoring that hat-trick against Bengaluru FC, the first in this edition of the Indian Super League.
For two matches, Coro, as he is affectionately called, grabbed attention with his intricate play and terrific understanding with Manuel Lanzarote. But a hat-trick that floored Bengaluru FC last week has turned the Spanish attacker into an instant hero in this part of the world.
“If I knew a hat-trick would mean (giving) so many interviews, I wouldn’t have scored,” Coro joked, before sitting down for an interaction with TOI at the GMC Athletic Stadium in Bambolim on Friday.
Coro is really the odd man out at FC Goa.
Among the first few foreign players to have signed up for the club – ignoring a more lucrative offer from Mumbai City FC – the Spanish striker is quiet and extremely polite. He always shows up at the training venue half an hour before the scheduled session, and given that he won a Copa del Rey with Espanyol in Spain, remains the most decorated player.
“It’s a little difficult to pick my best stint (at a club) but Espanyol will always be special. It’s home and I played there for a very long time. Elche was also a good experience. We started in the second division, where I was an important player for them, and we got promotion too,” said the 34-year-old.
Modest that he is, Coro doesn’t mention a word about his last-minute goal that saved the club from relegation in 2006. He was also at the heart of Espanyol’s Copa Del Rey triumph and was instrumental in the club’s run to the Uefa Cup final in 2007.
In 2011, 10 years after he had made his debut for Espanyol reserves, he fell out of favour with his former teammate and then coach Mauricio Pochettino of Argentina – now coach of English Premier League runners-up Tottenham Hotspur – and opted to join Osasuna on loan. It was tough being on the sidelines, but there were lessons to be learnt.
“We didn’t have a fall-out as such. Just a simple case of circumstances. He decided some players were (more) important and I wasn’t among them. Nothing personal. He is a very good coach and knows how to motivate. It was difficult being on the sidelines but it made me stronger. My character is to be calm and I learnt it during that stage,” said Coro.
Always fascinated by India, Coro was left in no doubt that he wanted to come here, if not as a professional footballer then at least a tourist.
“I spoke to a lot of people who played here and everyone spoke quite well. I didn’t have to think twice,” said Coro.
One of those who convinced Coro that there was no harm in making the move to India was Joffre Gonzalez, FC Goa’s former Spanish midfielder and Coro’s teammate at Espanyol.
“This league is actually quite demanding. Physically, it takes a lot, and so far, we’ve been doing well. Hopefully, we can keep going,” he said.
Should he score another hat-trick, the requests for media interactions will simply grow.
For two matches, Coro, as he is affectionately called, grabbed attention with his intricate play and terrific understanding with Manuel Lanzarote. But a hat-trick that floored Bengaluru FC last week has turned the Spanish attacker into an instant hero in this part of the world.
“If I knew a hat-trick would mean (giving) so many interviews, I wouldn’t have scored,” Coro joked, before sitting down for an interaction with TOI at the GMC Athletic Stadium in Bambolim on Friday.
Coro is really the odd man out at FC Goa.
Among the first few foreign players to have signed up for the club – ignoring a more lucrative offer from Mumbai City FC – the Spanish striker is quiet and extremely polite. He always shows up at the training venue half an hour before the scheduled session, and given that he won a Copa del Rey with Espanyol in Spain, remains the most decorated player.
“It’s a little difficult to pick my best stint (at a club) but Espanyol will always be special. It’s home and I played there for a very long time. Elche was also a good experience. We started in the second division, where I was an important player for them, and we got promotion too,” said the 34-year-old.
Modest that he is, Coro doesn’t mention a word about his last-minute goal that saved the club from relegation in 2006. He was also at the heart of Espanyol’s Copa Del Rey triumph and was instrumental in the club’s run to the Uefa Cup final in 2007.
In 2011, 10 years after he had made his debut for Espanyol reserves, he fell out of favour with his former teammate and then coach Mauricio Pochettino of Argentina – now coach of English Premier League runners-up Tottenham Hotspur – and opted to join Osasuna on loan. It was tough being on the sidelines, but there were lessons to be learnt.
“We didn’t have a fall-out as such. Just a simple case of circumstances. He decided some players were (more) important and I wasn’t among them. Nothing personal. He is a very good coach and knows how to motivate. It was difficult being on the sidelines but it made me stronger. My character is to be calm and I learnt it during that stage,” said Coro.
Always fascinated by India, Coro was left in no doubt that he wanted to come here, if not as a professional footballer then at least a tourist.
“I spoke to a lot of people who played here and everyone spoke quite well. I didn’t have to think twice,” said Coro.
One of those who convinced Coro that there was no harm in making the move to India was Joffre Gonzalez, FC Goa’s former Spanish midfielder and Coro’s teammate at Espanyol.
“This league is actually quite demanding. Physically, it takes a lot, and so far, we’ve been doing well. Hopefully, we can keep going,” he said.
Should he score another hat-trick, the requests for media interactions will simply grow.
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