Soliloquy

It is nigh on impossible for any supporter of Hyderabad FC to not be moved by the news of coach Manolo Marquez’s departure from the club. The same goes for me. An astute tactician, the Spaniard was single-handedly responsible for putting Hyderabad back on the footballing map of India after our title win in the 2021-22 season, almost six decades after our last win in a national-level competition.

I am deeply pained by his leaving, but rationality compels me to look at the verity that nothing lasts forever. Manolo forged an emotional connection with the patrons of Hyderabad FC, and was a particular hit with the Deccan Legion supporters group. His departure will leave many in Yellow and Black teary-eyed.

Manolo gave Hyderabad an identity of its own, and that is a commendable achievement by itself, given how challenging it must have been when he took over post our catastrophic inaugural season in the Indian Super League. Numbers speak volumes for the man, but I will not disinterest the statistically disinclined by harping about them here. What I will remember the most about Manolo’s tenure at the Maidaan is the dignity he lent to all of us in Yellow and Black. We were never quite beaten as long as he was at the helm.

Now that he leaves Gachibowli for the alluring back lanes of FC Goa, the cradle of Indian football, I wish him well. I harbour no resentment towards him despite the contentious remarks he made about the football culture in Hyderabad (or lack thereof). There is no denying that he will enjoy mythical status at Hyderabad FC long after he leaves India, and that his legend will keep growing. Manolo Marquez is a hero and woe upon us if he is forgotten.