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What's the story?
Mumbai City FC have confirmed their second signing in two days in the form of Spanish striker Rafa Jorda. The 33-year-old last played for Spanish third tier club UE Llagostera before leaving the club last month.
Jorda joins Lucian Goian, Gerson Vieira and Everton Santos as the new foreign recruits for Mumbai City FC for the 2017-18 Indian Super League season.
In case you didn't know...
Mumbai City FC are among the big spenders in the ISL having signed four overseas players so far, the second highest number. Last season's semi-finalists will look to go one step further this time around under Alexandre Guimaraes. Like the other ISL clubs, Mumbai City have completed their quota of domestic signings by the end of the domestic draft last month.
The heart of the matter
Jorda is an experienced campaigner and has played at a good level throughout his career. He has played in Spain, Italy, China and Georgia in a senior career that has spanned 14 years. He has also represented the Catalonia team.
Mumbai City FC are keen to add more attacking firepower to their squad after having to part ways with elite strikers Diego Forlan and Sunil Chhetri following the end of ISL-3. The Mumbai outfit added Balwant Singh to their strikeforce during the draft, but their attack still seemingly lacked bite, leading to the acquisition of former PSG man Santos yesterday and Jorda today.
Jorda has scored 59 goals in all his career of more than 200 matches, a surprisingly low return for a striker. He has played in the Champions League during his time in Georgia with Dinamo Tbilisi.
What's next?
The fourth ISL season kicks off on 17th November and judging by last year's performance, Mumbai City FC will be among the contenders for the title this time out. They have also kept with that reputation by splashing the cash, and just a few more additions are required to complete their 25-man squad.
Next season, the ISL will have ten teams and will be staged over a period of four months. Therefore, getting their targets early is always a bonus.
Author's take
Like Santos, Jorda - the former Valencia product - also comes with a reputation of being a low-scoring striker. Therefore, it remains to be seen how he adjusts to life in India and Indian football.
Also Read: ISL 2017: Mumbai City confirm signing of former PSG striker Everton Santos
