JOIN USSpanish matador leaving his mark in ISL
The Indian Super League has been a stage where a plethora of foreign talents has showcased skills and the latest import who is lighting up the fourth edition is Spanish striker Ferran Corominas.
His mild demeanor off the pitch definitely isn't a fair reflection of what the 35-year-old is out in the middle -- striking fear into rival defenders, he has made his way to the top of the goal scoring charts.
Netting 13 times in as many outings including two hat-tricks, Coro (as he's fondly called) has made scoring look like a walk in the park.
But he plays down his form, shrugging it off as something he is expected to do.
"When I come out on the field, I just think about what I need to do and try to get on with my work as much as possible. I try to enjoy myself on the field and keep myself out there. I don't think too much about what I need to be doing. The aim is obviously to help my team win and I just focus on the job I have been given to do," said Coro.
Born in Catalonia, Coro spent a large chunk of his playing career at La Liga outfit Espanyol, netting in a 4-1 win over Real Zaragoza as the Catalan side went on to lift the 2006 Copa del Rey.
After spending eight years at his boyhood club, Coro moved to Osasuna on loan after being sidelined by his former team-mate and then Espanyol manager Mauricio Pochettino.
"There have been a lot of good moments - scoring in the match as Elche clinched promotion is a fond memory. But I am hoping winning ISL with Goa will be one of them when I am done playing," he voiced, insisting that he has been content with his career.
Current Tottenham Hotspur boss Pochettino wasn't the only prominent name he has worked with as the frontman started a game for the Catalonia national side when they were coached by Dutch legend Johan Cruyff.
"The team talk he had actually given was quite quick and that was the only match we played under him for Catalonia. It was a good moment as he was someone I have always looked up to as a reference. It's something I have always remembered positively," divulged the Spaniard of Cruyff's pre-match advice.
An image football fans wouldn't forget in a hurry was when Andres Iniesta scored a 116th minute goal against the Netherlands in the 2010 World Cup final. What followed was Iniesta taking his jersey off to reveal a t-shirt with the message "Dani Jarque siempre con nosotros" (Daniel Jarque, always with us). Jarque was a former Espanyol defender who had succumbed to a heart attack the previous year.
For Coro, Jarque was more than a friend and at the time of Jarque's demise, the two were room-mates.
"Dani was not just someone I played with. He was my roommate and the guy with whom I spent throughout my Espanyol and Spain junior division teams. He was with me all the way through. It's a shame what happened to him but what I remember is the good memories I shared with him and he will be always my close friend," he said with a twinge of emotion.