French defender Cedric Hengbart has re-signed for Kerala Blasters. Hengbart played a major role in the Blaster’s run to the finals in the opening season and will don the yellow again for the upcoming campaign. The defender was a part of North East United for the 2015 Indian Super League but is back at Kerala for ISL 2016.
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The defender began his professional career at the age of 21 in France. After signing for SM Caen, he then followed it up with stints at Auxerre and AC Ajaccio. A soft spoken, calm and tenacious center-back who can also fill in at full back, the 36-year-old has made more than 250 Ligue 1 appearances.
Standing at 6ft, he is a major threat in the offensive third as well, registering 13 goals and 12 assists. In his debut ISL season for the Blasters, he played 13 matches and registered over 100 clearances along with 49 tackles. Hengbart also registered the second-best passing accuracy with 88.19%, completing 381 passes. The Frenchman was one of Kerala's best players in the first season.
Cedric was delighted with his return to the Blasters. Commenting on his return, Cedric Hengbart said, “After a wonderful first season with the Kerala Blasters, it feels good to be back home again!”
He also added that he looks forward to playing in front of the fans again. “The fan support in the first season was impressive and I look forward to playing in front of the home crowd again!”
Coach of the Blasters, Steve Coppell was equally pleased with the return of the defender. He said, “The return of Cedric will strengthen the team further. Cedric is a highly adaptable defender skilled at positioning and game reading. We are looking forward to a good show in the ISL!”
Kerala had a disappointing second season where they finished bottom of the table but will be looking to regain their form from the first season. They have also roped in ex-Arsenal keeper Graham Stack in an attempt to improve on last season's dismal showing.
In an attempt to modernize football training methods, most of the teams have traveled abroad for their pre-season training camps, with Kerala expected to head out to South East Asia soon. The third season of the ISL kicks off in just under 2 months and should be another cracker.
