Italy’s World Cup winning star Gianluca Zambrotta vowed to put his club on a winning path, just after being unveiled as the new head coach of the Delhi Dynamos Football Club here at the Nehru Stadium on Tuesday evening.
L-R Delhi Dynamos players Sanjiban Ghosh, Souvik Chakraborty with Delhi Dynamos President Prashant Aggarwal and newly announced head coach Gianluca Zambrotta
“My primary goal with the Lions will be to win trophies,” he said at an exhilarating function, even as he was cheered on by a full house of media and Dynamos’ fans. “Last year, we lost in the semifinals. This year we will aim to win. We want to take part in the Asian Championships and win there too, so that we can turn into Indian football into a global force.”
Looking immaculate in a neatly cut suit in team colours, with the Delhi Dynamos’ lapel sparkling on his chest, the 39-year-old star couldn’t hide his pleasure at being in India despite his long haul flight from Milan. “I am very happy to be here in India. It was always on my list of things to do and now being here and getting a chance to work with such a great club is a dream come true. I am very thankful to Prashant (Aggarwal, Dynamos’ CEO) and the entire Dynamos family for giving me this chance,” Zambrotta said, addressing the Indian media for the first time.
One of the most versatile players of his era, Zambrotta has tasted success at, both, club and international level. He shall be at the helm for two years, coming in place of Brazilian legend Roberto Carlos. He won over the team and media promptly by greeting everybody in the traditional Indian way.
Club president Prashant Aggarwal was visibly delighted during the unveiling and sounded positive about the club’s success under the new coach. “We are really proud to have Zambrotta as the head coach. He is a legend and his experience will do wonders for the team,” he said.
“We are confident about his abilities and strongly believe that he is the right coach for us and will take our team all the way in the upcoming season,” he added.
Talking about the likely marquee player, Prashant said: “ We are still in discussions. Now that Zambrotta has joined us, we will have a meeting and use his broader vision to sign a great player who will be capable of helping the team win.”
Zambrotta pointed out that his first task would be to build a team that is capable of winning the league title. “I will have a meeting with the management and put together a balanced side. My aim will be make the boys play attacking football while having a strong and organized defence. I also want to instil a sense of team spirit among the players,” he said.
Incidentally, Zambrotta’s former teammate Alessandro Del Piero was part of the Dynamos’ team in the first edition and he credits him for his decision to join the capital club. “I spoke to del Piero when this offer came. He gave me a lot of inputs about the league and the club’s vision.”
“It provides with a great opportunity as a coach and I am really looking forward to this challenge,” the former Juventus star said.
Zambrotta, who played as a full-back and a winger, has featured for many top clubs, including Barcelona, AC Milan, Juventus and Bari FC. He has won three Serie A titles, two with Juventus and one with Milan. He also won the Supercopa De Espana once with Barcelona.