Bengaluru FC announced that Albert Roca will leave his position as Head Coach at the end of the 2017-18 season. The Spaniard, who guided Bengaluru to the knockout stages of the AFC Cup yesterday (May 16, 2018), chose not to renew his two-year contract at the club owing to personal reasons. Roca joined the club in the 2016/2017 season and has led the team to unprecedented heights during his tenure.

Under his stewardship, Bengaluru became the first Indian side to reach the final of the AFC Cup in 2016, ultimately losing to Iraq’s Air Force Club in the summit tie. But soon enough, Roca picked up his first trophy for the JSW-owned side when they beat arch rivals Mohun Bagan to clinch the 2017 Federation Cup. Bengaluru set another record under Roca when they became the first Indian side to reach consecutive semi-finals in the AFC Cup. However, the next season would prove to be the most fruitful for Roca during his brief time as Bengaluru’s head coach.

With a completely revamped squad, Bengaluru FC took the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) by storm. Despite playing in a new league with relatively unknown opponents, the challenge did not faze Roca and his troops as they raced out of the blocks from the get go. The Blues led the league table for most of the campaign setting in new records with every passing month. Roca employed a refreshing brand of attacking football, which transformed his side into a well-oiled machine that scored goals for fun. Bengaluru registered a total of 40 goals through the campaign, second only to FC Goa. They were rock-solid at the back as well, piling up a total of eight clean sheets, the most by any team in the league. However, the Blues were unfortunate not to emerge triumphant at the end of the season as they tragically lost to Chennaiyin FC in the final.

But victory was not to be denied as Roca led his side to the title in the inaugural Hero Super Cup with a thumping 4-1 victory over East Bengal in the final. The Super Cup triumph capped off an almost perfect season for Bengaluru as they maintained their record of winning a trophy in every season since their inception.

The Bengaluru FC players took to social media to thank Roca for all the support he has given them:

In his farewell statement, Roca took the opportunity to thank everyone at the club and the fans, in particular, for making his time in India a special one. “It was one of the toughest decisions I have had to make in my managerial career but it’s the right one. Bengaluru FC has been an experience I will always carry with me, no matter where I go. The owners, the management, my staff, players and most importantly, the fans walked with me every step of this journey and I can never forget the love and support I have received here. I will miss being on the touchline for this club, but will always follow its progress,” said the Spaniard.