Former India national team head coach Stephen Constantine is all set to join Indian Super League (ISL) club East Bengal as their head coach ahead of the upcoming 2022/23 season.
The British coach enjoyed two successful stints with the Blue Tigers - 2002-2005 and 2015-2019 - where he won four trophies (LG Cup, SAFF Championship, Intercontinental Cup and Tri-Nation Series) and guided India to their fourth Asian Cup Cup campaign in 2019.
Yet the biggest success that India achieved in the Constantine era was the massive improvement in their FIFA rankings. When the coach took over at the helm, India were ranked 173 in March 2015 but in July 2017, India climbed 77 places and were ranked 96, their best ever ranking since 1996.
Other than Constantine, who is set to take over as East Bengal's manager, there are nine other coaches in the past who have both managed the national team and coached an Indian club.
Legendary Indian managers like Syed Abdul Rahim, P.K Banerjee, Amal Dutta, Sukhwinder Singh and Armando Colaco are among the most notable names who have been in charge of both the national team and an Indian club.
India coaching stint: 1950-1963
Club: Hyderabad City Police
India coaching stint: 1972-1981, 1985
Clubs: East Bengal, Mohun Bagan, Tata Football Academy
India coaching stint: 1982
Clubs: Dempo SC, JCT, Vasco, Tata FC, Sesa Goa FC
Former Bolton Wanderers player Bob Bootland arrived in India as a tourist but went on to become the first successful foreign coach in domestic football. He won Rovers Cup with Dempo (1978, 1986) & Durand Cup with JCT (1983). Armando Colaco was influenced by him #IndianFootball pic.twitter.com/xGt5nW6raI
— IndianFootball_History (@IndianfootballH) April 14, 2022
India coaching stint: 1982
Clubs: East Bengal
India coaching stint: 1986-1987, 1997-1998, 2005-2006
Clubs: Mohammedan Sporting, Mohun Bagan, East Bengal, Mahindra United
India coaching stint: 1987-1988
Clubs: Bengal, Odisha, East Bengal, Mohun Bagan, Tollygunge Agragami, United SC
India coaching stint: 1998-2001, 2009-2011 (India U23)
Clubs: JCT, Churchill Brothers
India coaching stint: 2011
Clubs: Churchill Brothers, Dempo, East Bengal, FC Bardez
India coaching stint: 2011-2012
Clubs: Salgaocar
India coaching stint: 2002-2005, 2015-2019
Club: East Bengal (unofficial)
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