FC Barcelona have confirmed that they appointed Hyderabad FC's head coach Albert Roca to work with Ronald Koeman, as the Spanish club undergoes massive overhaul in management.
Roca will join Barcelona as their fitness coach.
Barcelona took to their official social media platforms to confirm the development. "Albert Roca will be the new fitness coach working alongside @ronaldkoeman," the club wrote.
"Barca would like to thank @hydofficial for allowing Roca, who was at Barca during the Frank Rijkaard era, to return, and wishes them every success in the next @indsuperleague."
Roca was the assistant coach of Barcelona between 2003-2008.
In a club statement, Hyderabad FC wrote, "Hyderabad Football Club and Albert Roca have decided to part ways after agreeing to a mutual termination of the two-year contract.
"The 57-year-old Spaniard who had formally taken charge at the Indian Super League side in June, had put in a request to be relieved of his duties following Spanish giants FC Barcelona’s offer to join the first team staff under a new management.
"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. Roca will link up with newly appointed boss Ronald Koeman at FC Barcelona, who have won five UEFA Champions League trophies apart from 26 Spanish League titles."
Barcelona are going through troubled times after having a trophyless season in 2019/20. The side suffered a humiliating 8-2 loss to Bayern Munich in the quarterfinals of the Champions League, which followed the sacking of manager Quique Setien.
Following the appointment of Ronald Koeman as the new manager, Barcelona faced another huge setback as Lionel Messi formally told the club that he wants to leave. Premier League side Manchester City is among the frontrunners for his signature.
