Chennaiyin FC announced on Friday that their Hero Indian Super League 2017-18 winning captain, Henrique Sereno will no longer be a part of the squad in the upcoming 2018-19 season. The Portuguese was one of the main architects behind Chennaiyin’s successful campaign which landed them their second trophy in three years.

A solid defender and a headstrong leader, Sereno’s Hero ISL journey started with two-time champions ATK in 2016. His defensive duties at the back made ATK one of the most solid defensive unit that season, which eventually led to their lifting of the Hero ISL trophy that year.

The 33-year-old’s contribution grabbed eyeballs nationwide, and he was brought onboard the Chennaiyin brigade in 2017 and deservedly given the captain’s armband. He featured in 18 matches for the reigning champions, building a solid defensive wall at the back with Mailson Alves and Inigo Calderon.

Sereno helped the Marina Machans in keeping eight clean sheets over the course of the season, the highest in the league. If his 52 tackles, 30 interceptions, 101 clearances and 16 blocks are a testament to his defensive pedigree, a passing accuracy of 72.27% and a valuable goal in the process proves his overall impact on the team.

It is yet to be seen if the stalwart decides to return to Hero ISL in the upcoming season to ply his trade for another club, but the kind of power and leadership the Portuguese has shown over the course of two trophy-winning seasons, surely makes him one of the Hero ISL greats.