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Indian Super League (ISL) outfit FC Goa have confirmed the signing of Spanish defender Marc Valiente, the club announced on Wednesday (July 27). The Spaniard will don the club colors until the end of the 2022-23 season.
Born in Barcelona, Valiente's football journey started at the famous 'La Masia' where he captained most of the youth sides.
During his stint with the Catalan club, he shared dressing room space with stars like Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta, Thiago Motta, Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Victor Valdes, Sergio Busquets and Pedro, as well as head coach Carlos Pena.
Crediting FC Goa's head coach for his move to India, Valiente shared his excitement about his new deal in a club statement and said:
"Carlos (Pena) was the biggest influence on my decision. He told me everything about his plan as a head coach and also about the club. I also had some chats with Alvaro (Vazquez), having shared the dressing room with both in the past. It was comforting to have him in my team as he is an amazing player and person."
Valiente made his debut in November of 2006 in the Copa Del Rey fixture against CF Badalona. He was a regular in FC Barcelona's B team that played in the Segunda Division (second tier of Spanish football). Valiente moved to Sevilla in 2008 and featured in the club's B side playing in Segunda B (Spanish third tier) during his first season with the outfit.
He made his La Liga debut on November 21, 2009, against CD Tenerife, where his team won 2-1. Valiente won his first trophy with Sevilla FC, lifting the Copa Del Ray in the 2009-10 season. He was later reunited with Carlos Pena at Real Valladolid, where the two stayed for five seasons, earning a promotion to La Liga in the second season.
Valiente then moved abroad and had stints with Maccabi Haifa (Israel), KAS Eupen (Belgium) and Partizan Belgrade (Serbia). He won the Israel State Cup with Maccabi Haifa and the Serbian Cup with Partizan Belgrade before moving back to Spain in 2019 signing with Sporting Gijon.
Valiente's leadership qualities aided the move as per Ravi Puskur, FC Goa’s Director of Football
FC Goa's Director of Football was delighted at the prospect of the Spanish defender joining the team's ranks. In a statement to the club, he said:
“Marc is a high-quality player who comes in with significant playing experience at a very high level throughout his career. He is an ideal fit for our style of football. He’s extremely good with the ball and building out from the back and in our style of play, that is a fundamental requirement of the center backs."
Ravi Puskar added that the defender's personality traits and his nature off-the-ball aid his qualities as a leader and will play a key role as the season progresses.
