Bhubaneshwar; Indian Super League (ISL) side Odisha FC announced the signing of Spanish defender Hector Rodas ahead of the upcoming season on Wednesday. Hector is Odisha’s third international signing after Victor Mongil and Javi Hernandez.
“I am extremely happy to join Odisha FC. I am looking forward to meeting my teammates and the coaches and also reaching India for the ISL. I want to achieve good things at OFC and we all will work towards one common goal. Come on Odisha!” the 33-year-old defender said after penning the deal.
Hector started his youth career with Levante before making his senior professional career debut in 2009. He had also played for other Spanish teams like Elche, Betis, Cordoba, Cultural Leonesa and Alcorcon. Hector made his overseas debut in 2017 with Belgian club Cercle Brugge before returning to Valencia and eventually Odisha.
Head coach Kiko Ramírez, who has recently been appointed with the key goal of betterment of the club seemed to be pretty impressed with the Spaniard and expressed his joy over having him onboard.
🛫 𝐎𝐃𝐈𝐒𝐇𝐀🛬#OdishaFC #AmaTeamAmaGame #ANewDawn #WelcomeHector pic.twitter.com/JZZRN3q8mM
— Odisha FC (@OdishaFC) August 11, 2021
“Hector is going to give us the defensive balance that we need to improve the tactical game of the team. He is an experienced player who played in the first division in Spain and knows how to command the defensive line,” Kiko said.
“He is also an aggressive player in defending and can help us in taking good decisions during the game for the build-up. He is a winner in a duel with the ball in the air and he will give us power in set-pieces both in attack and in defense,” added the head coach.
Meanwhile, the club have also announced the appointment of young midfielder Nikhil Raj from Kickstart FC on loan. The 20-year-old has been a part of the Karnataka team in two editions of the Santosh Trophy and was awarded the best midfielder in the BDFA Super Division last season. He went on loan to the Indian Arrows making nine appearances in the I-League previous season.
