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What's the story?
FC Goa have completed the signing of Spanish left-back Carlos Pena for the upcoming Indian Super League season. The 35-year-old signs after leaving Lorca FC.
In case you didn't know...
The Spaniard has played for the national side, albeit only at a youth level. Pena's list of accolades includes the UEFA European U-19 Championship, which he won with his native country in 2002.
Apart from that, Pena was also a part of the side that finished runners-up at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2003.
The heart of the matter
FC Goa announced, via Twitter, that they have completed the signing of Spanish left-back Pena.
Carlos Pena has a long list of local clubs for which he has appeared. Pena's career began with Barcelona, as he was a part of their youth academy.
The Spaniard then went on to play for Barcelona's reserve teams- Barcelona C and Barcelona B. After a five-year stint with the Catalan reserve sides, Pena moved in search of a new challenge.
Pena really established himself with Segunda division side Albacete, for whom he would go on to make over one hundred appearances. The Spanish left-back later went on to play for many second division sides such as Recreativo, Real Valladolid, Oviedo, Getafe, and Lorca.
Pena continues Goa's tradition of bringing in Spanish players, as they did with Lanzarote and Corominas during the previous season.
What's next?
FC Goa were one of the best-performing sides of the 2017-18 Indian Super League season. The Gaurs finished the campaign in the third place, scoring a league-high forty-two goals in the process.
However, even after their stellar regular season form, Goa could not advance to the final. They were beaten heavily by eventual champions Chennaiyin in a two-legged tie.
The defence was an issue for the Gaurs last season. They will hope that Pena is able to bring some stability to the backline which conceded twenty-eight goals last season.
Will the signing of Carlos Pena help Goa for their upcoming ISL campaign? Do let us know in the comments below.
