Wikipedia

Carles Cuadrat

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Cuadrat and the second or maternal family name is Xiqués.

Carles Cuadrat Xiqués (born 28 October 1968) is a Spanish professional football manager and former player who was most recently the head coach of Indian Super League club East Bengal.

Carles Cuadrat
Cuadrat with Bengaluru in 2018
Personal information
Full name Carles Cuadrat Xiqués
Date of birth (1968-10-28) 28 October 1968 (age 56)
Place of birth Barcelona, Spain
Position(s) Left-back
Youth career
1978–1988 Barcelona
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1987–1988 Barcelona C 11 (0)
1988–1989 Barcelona B 0 (0)
1989–1996 Gavà 187 (33)
1990–1997 Sabadell 32 (1)
1997–1998 Gavà 1 (0)
Total 231 (34)
International career
1985–1988 Spain U18 14 (1)
Managerial career
2014–2015 El Salvador (assistant)
2016–2017 Bengaluru (assistant)
2018–2021 Bengaluru
2021–2022 Aris Limassol (assistant)
2023 Midtjylland (assistant)
2023–2024 East Bengal
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Cuadrat was a defender, who played as a left-back and spent most of his career with Spanish club CF Gavà. He also played for FC Barcelona reserves as well as the Spanish national youth teams.

After retiring as a player, Cuadrat started working as a conditioning coach with various Barcelona teams from 1998 to 2005. He also played the same role in Galatasaray and Saudi Arabia national team from 2008 to 2013. In 2014, he joined El Salvador national team as an assistant coach. In 2016, Cuadrat joined Indian club Bengaluru as an assistant coach to Albert Roca and later appointed as the head coach in 2018. He won the Indian Super League with the club.

After assistant coaching spells at Aris Limassol and Midtjylland, Cuadrat joined East Bengal in 2023.

Playing career

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Born in Barcelona, Catalonia, Cuadrat played for various clubs in the Spanish second division. He joined La Masia at age of ten in 1978. He played for all the FC Barcelona youth teams between 1978 and 1988. Cuadrat was also part of the FC Barcelona side that won the U19 Spanish Cup in 1986 and 1987.[1] In 1988, Cuadrat played for FC Barcelona's first team in couple of friendlies under then head coach Luis Aragones alongside the likes of Gary Lineker and Bernd Schuster at the Camp Nou.[2] He played fourteen times for Spanish national youth teams (U15 & U18) during his youth years most notably finishing third in the 1985 UEFA European Under-16 Championship.

Cuadrat played for Catalonian clubs FC Barcelona B, CF Gavà and CE Sabadell in Segunda División B between 1988 and 1998. With his playing career cut short by injury in 1998 at the age of 30, Cuadrat began working as a Physical Coach for the FC Barcelona Youth Academy.[1]

Coaching career

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During his second stint as a player at CF Gavà he also worked as director at CF Gava Youth Academy between 1995 and 1998. In 1998 he joined the FC Barcelona under–15 team as assistant and physical coach under Albert Benaiges. He worked as coach and physical trainer for various FC Barcelona youth teams in years followed.[1]

In 2009 Cuadrat joined former FC Barcelona manager Frank Rijkaard's technical staff as Physical trainer at the Turkish giants Galatasaray.[3] He was also in the technical staff Rijkaard at Saudi Arabia between 2011 and 2013.[4] In 2014, when Albert Roca, who was assistant coach to Frank Rijkaard at Galatasaray and Saudi Arabia, became manager of El Salvador, he enlisted service of Cuadrat as assistant coach.[5] Cuadrat, 54, began his coaching career in India in 2016 as the Assistant Coach of Bengaluru FC (BFC).[6] He moved to then I-League side Bengaluru FC, who moved to the Indian Super League in 2017, with Roca in 2016 as an assistant coach.[7] During his two-year stint, the club won the Federation Cup in 2017, Super Cup in 2018 apart from being the first Indian side to reach the AFC Cup final in 2016.[8] On 29 December 2017 Carles Cuadrat parted ways with the club by mutual consent owing to health concerns.[9][10]

After Albert Roca's departure as head coach at the end of 2017–18 season, Bengaluru FC appointed Cuadrat as head coach for 2018–19 season.[11] He led them to their maiden Indian Super League title in his first season as head coach.[12] Having won the 2018–19 Indian Super League final 1–0 against FC Goa, Cuadrat's Bengaluru FC side became the only team in the history of the League to have finished in first place in the regular league and win the title in the same year.[13][14]

In 2019–20, Cuadrat took the team back to the playoffs in the Indian Super League for a third consecutive season, being the only club in the Indian Super League to reach the playoff in every appearance. The feat also made Bengaluru FC the first team to reach the playoff as defending champions, since ATK in the 2015–16 edition of the tournament. Defending champions had failed to make it to the top four the following season, with ATK (in 2015) and Bengaluru FC (in 2020) the only teams to do so.[15] However, it was ATK that stopped Bengaluru's charge to the final with an aggregate win of 3–2 in the playoffs.[16] The Kolkata side would go on to claim the title, winning 3–1 against Chennaiyin FC in the final.[17]

Under Cuadrat, Bengaluru has set many Indian Super League and club records:

  1. In 2018–19, an 11-match unbeaten run made Bengaluru FC the team with the longest unbeaten streak in the Indian Super League.[citation needed]
  2. In 2018–19, Bengaluru FC won six matches in a row, another feat unmatched in the Indian Super League.
  3. Gurpreet Singh Sandhu's 11 clean sheets in 2019–20 means that Bengaluru hold the League record for most clean sheets in a single season.[18]
  4. From December 2017 to December 2019, Bengaluru went a League-record 17 matches unbeaten at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium, the longest such run in the Indian Super League.[19]
  5. Cuadrat's BFC side went 385 minutes without conceding a goal at home, with FC Goa's 61st-minute strike on 3 January followed by ATK's 86th-minute goal on 22 February, over a run of four League games.[20]
  6. Bengaluru FC's biggest ever win was recorded under Carles Cuadrat in the 2019–20 campaign when the Blues beat Paro FC 9–1 at the Kanteerava in the AFC Cup qualifiers.[21]

On 6 January 2021, it was announced that Carles Cuadrat and Bengaluru FC have parted ways on mutual consent.[22]

In 2021–2022 season he joined the recently promoted Aris Limassol (founded in 1930) of Cyprus,[23] achieving with the team best season of their history,[24] qualifying for the first time for the play-off for the Title and getting a place in UEFA European competition also for the first time in the history of the club.[25]

In January 2022, Cuadrat signed for danish club FC Midtjylland[26] as an assistant of Albert Capellas. The club plays his best ever european season getting in front of Lazio and Sturm Graz in the Europa League group stage, and only getting out of the competition in the knock out playoffs against Sporting Lisboa.[27] FC Midtjylland finish the 2022-23 season getting again the qualification for a UEFA competition.[28]

On 25 April 2023, Cuadrat was announced as the head coach for the Indian Super League side East Bengal, where he signed a two years contract from 2023.[29] He is one of the most successful manager in Indian club football history.[30]

In his first month of work he achieved 2 historic milestones. Reaching the Final of the prestigious Durand Cup after 19 years without doing so,[31] and winning the local derby against Mohun Bagan after more than 4 years and 9 games without doing so.[32] Before finishing the first round of the Indian Super League, Cuadrat had already achieved a third record; East Bengal FC recorded their biggest ever victory in the Indian Super League (ISL), a 5-0 triumph over NorthEast United FC.[33] On 28th January 2024, East Bengal won their first ever Title of Indian Super Cup[34] as an unbeaten champion under Quadrat's coaching, ending a 12-year trophy drought.[35] The Red and Gold Brigade beat Odisha FC 3-2 in extra time at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneshwar.

After starting the second season with two consecutive victories in the Durand Cup[36]  , the team failed to make it past the preliminary round of the AFC Champions League after losing to Turkmenistan's Altyn Asir, but despite the defeat they qualified directly for the group stage of the AFC Challenge League.[37] In this way, Cuadrat returned the club to a continental competition after 9 years for the Kolkata's based club without participating.[38]

A bad losing streak at the start of the 11th edition of the Indian Super League led Cuadrat to step aside as head of the team on September 30, 2024.[39][40]

Managerial statistics

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As of match played 10th April 2024
Managerial record by team and tenure
Team From To Record Ref
M W D L GF GA GD Win %
Bengaluru 14 June 2018 6 January 2021 57 27 13 17 86 63 23 047.37 [41][42][43]
East Bengal 25 April 2023 30 September 2024 33 14 8 11 48 41 7 042.42 [44][45][46]
Total 90 41 21 28 134 104 30 045.56

Honours

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Player

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Spain U16

Manager

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Bengaluru

East Bengal

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Las Gaunas. FC Barcelona 6 – Real Madrid 3, Final Copa del Rey Juvenil". fiasports.com. Archived from the original on 28 March 2019. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
  2. ^ "Carles Cuadrat – Playing under Luis Aragones". Archived from the original on 14 January 2020. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
  3. ^ "Galatasaray and coach Frank Rijkaard go their separate ways". goalzz.com. Archived from the original on 17 October 2018. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
  4. ^ Aragón, El Periódico de. "El breve regreso de Frank Rijkaard". El Periódico de Aragón (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 17 October 2018. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
  5. ^ https://www.pressreader.com/spain/sport/20140322/282398397367308. Archived from the original on 17 October 2018. Retrieved 17 October 2018 – via PressReader. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  6. ^ "Carles Cuadrat appointed as new coach of East Bengal". FootballExpress.in. 27 April 2023. Archived from the original on 30 April 2023. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
  7. ^ "CARLES CUADRAT WILL BE ASSISTANT TO ALBERT ROCA". theindianleague.in. 8 July 2016. Archived from the original on 30 September 2018. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
  8. ^ "Bengaluru FC first Indian club to reach AFC Cup final". The Times of India. 19 October 2016. Archived from the original on 7 October 2018. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
  9. ^ Aravind (3 December 2017). "Bengaluru FC part ways with assistant coach Carles Cuadrat". mykhel.com. Archived from the original on 27 June 2020. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
  10. ^ "Looking back at how much this club has achieved, I can only smile: Cuadrat". BengaluruFC.com. 2 December 2017. Archived from the original on 27 June 2020. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
  11. ^ "Carles Cuadrat appointed Bengaluru FC head coach". Goal. 14 June 2018. Archived from the original on 17 June 2018. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
  12. ^ "Bheke header lands BFC the title". Deccan Herald. 17 March 2019. Archived from the original on 1 December 2020. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  13. ^ Nayak, Nicolai (18 March 2019). "ISL final: Cuadrat's Bengaluru FC implement plans to perfection against FC Goa to clinch title". Scroll.in. Archived from the original on 26 September 2020. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  14. ^ Warrier, Sajith B. (1 March 2019). "ISL feature: Can Cuadrat do what Roca could not at Bengaluru FC?". Archived from the original on 25 April 2023. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  15. ^ Shukla, Kaushal (16 March 2020). "Data check: ISL got more prolific and physical in 2019–20 season as Indian goal tally shrunk". Scroll.in. Archived from the original on 22 April 2020. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
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  19. ^ "Setting it up in style". Deccan Herald. 1 February 2020. Archived from the original on 6 October 2021. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
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  21. ^ "Bengaluru FC romp to 9–1 win over Paro FC at Kanteerava". BengaluruFC.com. 1 February 2020. Archived from the original on 30 November 2020. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  22. ^ "ISL 2020-21: Bengaluru FC part ways with head coach Carles Cuadrat | Goal.com". Goal. Archived from the original on 6 January 2021. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  23. ^ "Ο εγκέφαλος πίσω από τον Λιάσο". Archived from the original on 27 May 2022. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
  24. ^ ""Ιδιαίτερες ευχαριστίες στους φίλους και τους διοικούντες την Ανόρθωση / Είμαστε ο ΑΡΗΣ και είμαστε στην Ευρώπη"". Archived from the original on 22 May 2022. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
  25. ^ "Σπόλιαριτς: "Είχαμε πίστη και πήγαμε για το… The Last Dance"". 23 May 2022. Archived from the original on 27 May 2022. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
  26. ^ "CARLES CUADRAT OG NIELS LODBERG FULDENDER TRÆNERTEAMET". Archived from the original on 18 June 2023. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
  27. ^ "La gran sorpresa de la Europa League puede llegar con sabor blaugrana". Archived from the original on 18 June 2023. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
  28. ^ "SIMSIR SPARKEDE MIDTJYLLAND I EUROPA". Archived from the original on 9 June 2023. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
  29. ^ "East Bengal FC appoint Carles Cuadrat as new head coach on two-year deal". Archived from the original on 18 June 2023. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
  30. ^ Bhattacharya, Nilesh (25 April 2023). "East Bengal appoint Carles Cuadrat as new coach". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 25 April 2023. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
  31. ^ "East Bengal reaches Durant Cup". 29 August 2023.
  32. ^ "East Bengal end derby jinx vs Mohun Bagan". The Times of India. 13 August 2023. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
  33. ^ "ISL 2023-24: East Bengal Rout NorthEast United 5-0 | India.com". www.india.com. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
  34. ^ "East Bengal win the Super Cup - Defeat defending champions Odisha FC in the Final". www.transfermarkt.co.in. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
  35. ^ "East Bengal end 12-year trophy drought to win Super Cup after Cleiton's extra-time winner". ESPN. 28 January 2024. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
  36. ^ Sharma, Amitabha Das (7 August 2024). "Durand Cup 2024: East Bengal beats Downtown Heroes to record consecutive wins". Sportstar. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
  37. ^ Sharma, Amitabha Das (14 August 2024). "East Bengal loses 2-3 to Altyn Asyr in AFC Champions League 2 prelims, will play in Challenge League". Sportstar. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
  38. ^ Sportstar, Team (14 August 2024). "When did East Bengal last play in Asia before its AFC Champions League 2 Prelims match against Altyn Asyr?". Sportstar. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
  39. ^ "Carles Cuadrat Steps Down as Head Coach of East Bengal FC". News18. 30 September 2024. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
  40. ^ "Carles Cuadrat steps down as East Bengal FC head coach". www.indiansuperleague.com. 30 September 2024. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
  41. ^ "Bengaluru FC » Fixtures & Results 2018/2019". worldfootball.net. Archived from the original on 2 May 2023. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
  42. ^ "Bengaluru FC » Fixtures & Results 2019/2020". worldfootball.net. Archived from the original on 2 May 2023. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
  43. ^ "Bengaluru FC » Fixtures & Results 2020/2021". worldfootball.net. Archived from the original on 2 May 2023. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
  44. ^ "East Bengal results". flashscore.in. Archived from the original on 12 August 2023. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
  45. ^ "East Bengal FC » Fixtures & Results 2023/2024". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
  46. ^ Gupta, Sabyasachi (9 April 2024). "পাঞ্জাবের বিরুদ্ধে তিন পয়েন্ট পাওয়ার জন্য আমরা তৈরি: কার্লস কুয়াদ্রাত". Bong Football. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
  47. ^ "Carles Cuadrat Xiques stats FC Barcelona Players". players.fcbarcelona.com. Archived from the original on 2 May 2023. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
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