Albert Roca has left the Indian Super League and will join FC Barcelona as a fitness coach, the Hyderabad FC announced on Saturday. Roca had put in a request to be relieved of his duties after the newly appointed FC Barcelona head coach Ronald Koeman expressed his desire to have him in his support staff.

Roca, 57, had joined Hyderabad FC as head coach in January and was earlier the head coach of Bengaluru FC from 2016-18. He guided the team to the first-ever final of the AFC Cup by an Indian side in 2016, eventually losing the summit clash against Iraqi Air Force FC.

“After lengthy deliberations, Hyderabad FC has taken the decision to allow Albert Roca, who hails from Catalonia, to rejoin the club where he was part of the first team staff from 2003 to 2008,” the Hyderabad FC said in a media release.

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Earlier in the day, FC Barcelona tweeted: “Albert Roca will be the new fitness coach working alongside @RonaldKoeman.” Roca will link up with Koeman at FC Barcelona, which has won five UEFA Champions League trophies apart from 26 Spanish League titles. He had earlier served as FC Barcelona assistant coach for five years (2003-2008).

“For me, it’s been a tough decision to make. I am thankful to everyone at HFC for showing immense faith in me since I joined back in January. I am aware that all our fans will be disheartened but believe me, it’s not an easy goodbye for me either,” Roca said.