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What's the story?
FC Goa have officially confirmed the signing of Spanish left-winger Miguel Palanca for the upcoming Indian Super League season in a bid to bolster their forward line. Mainly a left winger, the 30-year-old can also play on the right wing and as a forward.
In case you didn't know...
Palanca started his career by playing for the youth team of RCD Espanyol before moving on to the reserve team of the club.
Real Madrid were impressed by the youngster and subsequently signed him after his solitary outing with the senior Espanyol side. Palanca managed to play only three matches for the senior Real Madrid side and spent the majority of his time with the reserve team.
He was then loaned to the then La Liga 2 side CD Castellón in 2009. However, the club got relegated and Palanca made a permanent move to Elche CF in a bid to keep playing in the Spanish 2nd division.
After 3 seasons with Elche, the winger moved to CD Numancia and had a successful one-and-a-half seasons there before moving out of Spain. He played in the Australian top division (A-league) for Adelaide United FC in 2015, and came back to Spain to ply his trade at Gimnàstic for one season. In 2017, the 30-year-old made a move to Poland and started playing in the Ekstraklasa (Poland top-division league) as he signed a two-year contract with Korona Kielce.
The last club he played for before signing a contract with the Gaurs was Anorthosis, which plays in the Cypriot First Division.
The heart of the matter
FC Goa, announced via a short video on Twitter, the signing of the talented winger.
Palanca expressed his happiness on joining The Gaurs and said:
"I'm extremely delighted to be signing for FC Goa. The club's vision and ambitions are what attracted me the most and I can't wait to get started in the ISL!"
What's next?
Signing such a versatile player has certainly been a good move by The Gaurs' management. The Goa-based side had a decent campaign last time around as they finished 3rd in the league stage, with 9 wins, 3 draws, and 6 draws. They were the top scorers in the league and scored 42 goals in their 18 matches with a terrific goal ratio. With the signings of Spanish left-back Carlos Pena, and Senegalese centre-back Mourtada Fall, Goa have also attempted to bolster their backline.
FC Goa is looking like a force to reckon with in the upcoming season with these latest signing and will be one of the teams to watch out for.
Will Palanca help The Gaurs match the goal-scoring record they had last season? Do share your opinions in the comments section below.
