ISL: Former Costa Rican Alex Guimaraes named Mumbai City FC coach

Former Costa Rican midfielder Alexandre Guimaraes has been named head coach of Mumbai City FC, for the third season of the Indian Super League.

Borges has in the past held the job of head coach of the Costa Rica national football squad, leading the country past the qualifying stages of the 2002 and the 2006 FIFA World Cups.

A release from ,Mumbai City FC stated that Borges started coaching Costa Rican club Belen, then moved to another club Herediano in the summer of 1996, and had achieved good results with both teams.

Welcoming the signing, Mumbai City FC's owner and actor Ranbir Kapoor said, "We are extremely excited to have Alexandre on board with us. As a coach, and as a player, he has always shown great endearing and persistent traits, along with a winner's mentality, that resound with our beliefs at Mumbai City FC. We are very confident that he is a right fit for the club, and for this city.

"I have been coaching in Asia for a few years now and the Indian growth story is something that has caught my eye for quite a while," said Borges about his new assignment.

"I was always keen to be a part of this massive football movement, and over my conversations with the club, I almost instantly knew that Mumbai City FC would be the perfect club for me to make my foray into Indian football. I am very excited about this new challenge and I hope, that together with the entire Mumbai City FC team, we deliver a successful season to the people of Mumbai," he added.

Last season, French striker Nicolas Anelka, who was player-coach at Mumbai last year, had expressed his desire to leave after the club failed to qualify for the knockout round of the popular football league.

"I don’t think I will come back. You have to speak to the team management," Anelka, the former Arsenal, Real Madrid and Chelsea striker, said after the draw.

"The target was to reach the semi-finals and the target has not been met, so I don't think so," he added.

Image: Costa Rica Coach Alexandre Guimaraes 

Photograph: Alex Livesey /Allsport/Getty Images