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NorthEast United FC (NEUFC) have confirmed the appointment of Joao Carlos Pires de Deus of Portugal as head coach for the upcoming ISL season, while Delhi Dynamos have hired former Real Madrid midfielder Miguel Angel Portugal as their main man. Deus will effectively be taking over from compatriot Nelo Vingada, who coached them during the previous ISL season before taking over as coach of the Malaysian national team in May 2017. NEUFC remain one of only two teams to never have made the playoffs of the ISL in the first three seasons of the franchise-based league, and improving on that record will be the first job for Deus, who has had coaching stints in Spain and Portugal, besides working with the Cape Verde national team as head coach between 2008 and 2010. The coach is NEUFC's third personnel to be announced, after they decided to utilise the retention clause for goalkeeper TP Rehenesh and midfielder Rowllin Borges. "I can assure the fans that we will play positive football and that all the players and the staff will work hard. We will leave no stone unturned so that we can achieve our objectives," Deus said. "I believe that young players are important in any campaign and will ensure that they fit seamlessly into our setup. This year, we will be focused on playing good football and winning as many games as we can, taking it one game at a time." Portugal, meanwhile, will take over coaching duties at Delhi from former Italy international Gianluca Zambrotta, who led the team to the semi-finals last year. Portugal, who made 27 appearance for Real Madrid during their La Liga triumph in the 1979-80 season, has also worked with Racing Santander, besides serving as a technical director of the Real Madrid senior team. "Being involved with Delhi Dynamos FC is a great opportunity to be a part of the growing football revolution that is taking shape in the country," Portugal said. "During meetings with my team, I saw a few of the Delhi Dynamos FC games on video and I was impressed with the players' attacking football. The club truly plays like a lion and it wasn't a difficult decision for me to sign up to play my part in shaping the club's future success."
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