Former goalie key to solving Atletico de Kolkata’s shot-stopper puzzle

The only time an international goalkeeper managed an ISL team was in 2014 and David James took Kerala Blasters to the final.

Atletico de Kolkata’s Jose Molina, who has played nine times as goalkeeper for Spain and 189 games for Atletico Madrid, almost echoed former Italy coach Arrigo Sacchi who once said he didn’t know that to be a good jockey, you first needed to be a horse. Molina, 46, said it didn’t matter as a coach whether one had been a striker or a shot-stopper. “I learnt a lot when I was a player and I am trying to teach some of that. I think, no, I am sure that I have prepared well for my role (as a coach),” said Molina, who won a domestic treble with Hong Kong’s Kitchee FC, here on Saturday. International goalies usually take charge of goalkeepers at a club or the national team after retirement. Or, become pundits. Or football administrators like Andoni Zubizarreta and Lev Yashin. Michel Prued’homme, who won the Belgian league last season with Club Brugge, Dino Zoff and Walter Zenga are some exceptions to the rule.

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