Panaji: Former India midfielder Micky Fernandes has joined Gokulam Kerala FC as assistant coach, where he will work with Brazilian head coach Carlos Eduardo Biasi Parreira .




Carlos, who started as a conditioning coach, comes with a big reputation, having nurtured many Brazilian stars like Marcelo (Real Madrid), Willian (Chelsea), Danilson (Arsenal), Anderson, Fabio, Rafael (Man United), Alexandre Pato (AC Milan) and Renato Augusto.




Player turned coach, Micky looks to add his valuable inputs at Gokulam, who will look to win the Indian Football League (IFL) crown. The two-time I-League champions are rebuilding their squad after a forgetful last edition where they survived the drop on the final matchday.




“Gokulam have always shown a winning mentality and that’s what convinced me to take up this role,” Micky told TOI on Saturday. “It will be a pleasure to work with coach Carlos, gain valuable knowledge as well as share my experience on Indian football.




The IFL season commences on Oct 30 with 11 teams and returns to a full-fledged home-and-away format. Clubs are allowed to field a maximum of three foreign players at a time, instead of the four which were previously allowed.




Micky’s football journey started at Sesa FA where he graduated from their first batch and turned pro when he joined Salgaocar SC in 2003. He shined for Salgaocar in the National Football League (NFL) and stayed with them till 2007. The midfielder moved to Sporting Clube de Goa where he stayed till 2009. Soon, Kolkata giants Mohun Bagan came calling and he represented the Kolkata giants for a season before making a move back to Goa in 2010 at Dempo SC on a two-year contract.




He captained Mumbai-based Air India before returning to Churchill Bros FC. In his late 30s Micky joined Vasco SC as a player and then went on to coach them in the Goa Professional League for seven seasons.




He even coached Hindustan FC in the Delhi league. Most recently, Micky was the technical director of Combaitore-based First Kick School of Soccer .




“I thank club president VC Praveen and sporting director Raman Vijayan for believing in me. I bring along my vast experience in Indian football and hope to help the club achieve glory again,” said the former international.




Gokulam have made some encouraging signings. They have roped in Spanish duo Mikel Kortazar and Hugo Diaz, both of whom played for IFL champions Diamond Harbour last season.




Their other foreigners are Victor Matheus da Silva Matos and Crislan Henrique da Dilva de Dousa, both Brazilians, besides Ghanaian forward Dennis Antwi and Portuguese midfielder Joao Miguel.