FC Goa sign Iker Guarrotxena in a two-year

deal
Goa, 8 July, 2022: FC Goa have completed the signing of Iker Guarrotxena, the Club
can officially confirm. Having penned a two-year deal with the Gaurs, the Spaniard
will wear their iconic Orange till the summer of 2024.

Guarrotxena spent last season in the colours of UD Logrones in the Primera Division
RFEF (Spanish third-tier) where he was the fourth-highest goal-scorer in the league
with 14 strikes that included a hat-trick and two braces. With 17 goal contributions in
all (including three assists), the Spaniard’s play helped Logrones secure a place in the
promotion play-offs.

“It’s an honour to be a part of FC Goa. The Club has only a few foreigner players and
I’m proud to be among the chosen few. FC Goa showed confidence in me, and
hence, I’ll try my best to take them to new heights,” Guarrotxena said after signing
on the dotted line.

“A few weeks ago, I got a call from Ravi (Puskur), the Club’s Director of Football. FC
Goa were one of the first teams to contact me this summer, and Ravi explained their
project to me in great detail which gave me confidence. I later spoke with the coach
(Carlos Pena) as well.

"Except Goa, I had options from clubs from different countries as well as in Spain.
When I spoke with Goa, I was very clear that I wanted to join a project where I could
win something. I wanted to win a title, a league. And for me, FC Goa was the best
chance of winning something this season. And that's why I joined FC Goa,” he further
added.

Ravi Puskur, FC Goa’s Director of Football also expressed satisfaction in having

completed the move for the player.

“We’re very pleased to bring someone like Iker Guarrotxena on board. He brings a lot
of decisive quality in the final 3rd and has a lot of versatility about him as he can play
in multiple positions equally well.
“When we first spoke to him, he transmitted an ambition to win and that is precisely
the sort of mentality we’re looking to bring into our dressing room. He’s a well
travelled player and I’m sure he’ll have no trouble settling into the dressing room
and will be an invaluable addition to the team dynamic with his competitive nature,”
he said.

Well-suited to the FC Goa style of play

Born and raised in the city of Bilbao in northern Spain, Iker Guarrotxena spent the
major part of his football career in his home country. With a large Spanish
contingent in place with the Gaurs the winger-forward should feel at ease with the
playing style.

Following stints with Arenas Getxo and Athletic Bilbao’s youth teams, Guarrotxena
made his senior football debut in 2011 with CD Basconia in the Tercera Division, the
erstwhile fourth division of the Spanish football league system.

Guarrotxena also brings a vast amount of experience of having played in a number

of other foreign leagues. Stints with Athletic Bilbao Reserves, CD Tenerife, CD
Mirandes and Cultural Leonesa followed for the 29-year-old, who then made his first
move abroad, to Polish top-division outfit Pogon Szczecin in 2018.

He then went on to play for Greek Super League club Volos NPS and A-League (Men)
side Western United over the next two seasons, before returning to Spain and
signing with UD Logrones in the Primera Division RFEF (Spanish third-tier) last year.

About FC Goa
FC Goa is a professional football club based out of Goa that competes in the Indian
Super League (ISL) and is the current holder of the Super Cup. Nicknamed the
Gaurs, FC Goa has been one of the most consistently successful teams in the ISL -
reaching 4 semi-finals and 2 finals in 8 seasons.

In Season 2019-20, the club won the ISL League Winners Shield by finishing top of
the table in the league stages and also became the first-ever club from India to play
in the group stages of the AFC Champions League in April 2021.

Co-owned by Mr Jaydev Mody, Mr Akshay Tandon and Mr Virat Kohli, FC Goa is one
of the few Indian Clubs to have a complete youth development ecosystem. Its U14,
U16, U18 and Developmental Teams compete at the highest levels in Goa and India.
The system has produced recognizable talents like Liston Colaco, Saviour Gama,
Princeton Rebello and many more.