Mohun Bagan head coach Kibu Vicuna on Tuesday said that once the situation comes back to normal, he would love to come back to India to enjoy the I-League title win with fans.
Vicuna was stuck in Kolkata due the ongoing lockdown in awake of COVID-19 pandemic in the country.
Vicuna and the entire Spsh contingent drove from Kolkata to Delhi, and boarded a special flight in the wee hours earlier today.
They flew out from New Delhi to Madrid, with a two-day stopover in Amsterdam.
"When normalcy returns, I would love to come back and celebrate with all the players, fans, club officials and members. None of us ever really got the opportunity to say our goodbyes properly. It was all over the phone. I am a person who likes to do this kind of thing face-to-face," official website of All India Football Federation quoted Vicuna as saying.
"I would like to thank all the fans of Mohun Bagan. We got so much love throughout the season, it's absolutely unbelievable. I feel like I am leaving a piece of my heart back in Kolkata," he added.
The I-League season came to a premature end due to the coronavirus, but Mohun Bagan was handed the title as they had already secured the I-League win this season.
Vicuna also praised the performance of youngsters in the side.
"If you look at our performances, the Indian players were extremely crucial for us. Starting from SK Sahil, (Nongdamba) Naorem, and Subha (Ghosh), they are all young talents and have done exceptionally well to rise to the occasion," Vicuna said.
"Then you have the experienced lot -- Dhana (Dhanachandra Singh), Gurjinder (Singh), Ashu (Ashutosh Mehta), and Sankar (Roy), who's experience was crucial for our performance in the league. To be honest, it was difficult to select 11 players. I had players like Romario (Jesuraj), (Lalram) Chullova, or Debjit (Majumder), who are equally capable, and gave us a lot of support from the bench," he added.
After securing the title with Mohun Bagan, Vicuna will now be coaching Kerela Blasters in the I-League.
Talking about his new role, Vicuna said: "I'm really excited to join Kerala Blasters. I'm thankful to the club management who have shown the faith in me and have given me the opportunity."
"We want to build a strong team that plays attacking and attractive football. I have heard that the Kerala fans are equally as vociferous as the ones back in Mohun Bagan. With their support, we hope to get the results and earn more glories," he added.
( With inputs from ANI )