Kerala Blasters rope in young Vincy Baretto; Hyderabad FC sign Bartholomew Ogbeche

By
Shoumik Das
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Bartholomew Ogbeche

Kochi: Indian Super League (ISL) side Kerala Blasters have announced the arrival of winger Vincy Barretto ahead of the upcoming season. As per reports, the youngster signed a three-year deal after spending the last season with Gokulam Kerala in the I-League.

“I am glad to represent Kerala once again.’’ The 21-year-old added on the move. ”I have always heard about the fan base that Kerala Blasters FC has, and I am really excited to be part of the team and experience that. I look forward to growing personally and showing my best performance on the field for KBFC”, he further stated.

Barreto started with Goan side Dempo SC at the youth level (U-18 I-League) before making a move to FC Goa where he was the part of the reserve squad that won the 2018-19 Goa Professional League. He featured 17 times for the club over three years while last season he was seen in Gokulam Kerala colours in 13 games as well.

On the other hand, Hyderabad FC cracked a deal with Nigerian striker Bartholomew Ogbeche. Fresh from his title winning season with Mumbai City FC, the 36-year-old has been offered contract for a season till the end of the 2021-22 campaign with the side looking to up their game in the opposing final third.

“I am thrilled to have signed for Hyderabad FC.” added Ogbeche on the move. “One could easily see from the outside that he (Manolo Marquez) has a clear idea about his style of play and what he wants from his players which is an admirable attribute that I find in him. I’m very excited to be playing under him,” he further added.

An academy graduate of French side Paris Saint-Germain, Ogbeche made 57 appearances for the first team netting scored 21 goals before featuring for the likes Deportivo Alaves and Real Valladolid in Spain. After stints Greece and England, he moved to the Netherlands playing for Cambuur and Willem II over the next five years, before coming to India in 2018 with NorthEast United.

Coach Manolo MÃĄrquez  explained how a potent striker is an need of the hour. “These kinds of players are always necessary in a team. Ogbeche will be important on and off the pitch, and his influence will be bigger if the squad is young. He is the third top goalscorer in ISL history, having scored goals for NorthEast, Kerala and Mumbai. The striker is always a main part of a team, and we are very happy to have Ogbeche with us,” added Manolo.

Ogbeche also happens to be the third highest scorer in ISL’s history With 35 strikes at a rate of 0.61 goals per 90 minutes. A classic No.9, he also earned 11 caps for the Nigeria appearing a couple of times at the 2002 FIFA World Cup against Argentina and Sweden.

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