“Playing in AFC Cup will be a different experience for the club,” says Odisha FC talisman Diego Mauricio

Odisha FC’s main man Diego Mauricio was sensational for the Juggernauts in the unforgettable last season where he won the Golden Boot in the Indian Super League and later guided the club to the Super Cup title.

Mauricio joined the club in 2020 and scored some goals but overall the club did not finish in a good position and he was released. He did return to the team after a year’s gap when Josep Gombau was again the head coach.

While Gombau is gone and Sergio Lobera is the new coach, the club are not letting go of Mauricio after he won the Golden Boot and impressed everyone in India. He slammed home 12 goals and four assists to win the prestigious Golden Boot award. He played a pivotal role in helping Odisha FC win the Super Cup under the tutelage of coach Clifford Miranda.

He recently spoke to the ISL.com website about several aspects starting from his exceptional last season to his plans for the upcoming season. He shared his thoughts on winning the Golden Boot and felt that it was the best season in his career as the team was also successful.

“The feeling is nice because (I am) the top scorer in the league. (I) scored a lot of goals, and the team played well. For me, I think this season was the best season of my life. I am feeling great because I put (my) everything this season and it gave me back so many good things,” Mauricio stated.

He was then asked about the influence that the likes of Josep Gombau or Clifford Miranda had in the team. Gombau was sacked by the management despite taking Odisha FC to the playoffs, while Miranda guided them to the Super Cup title, Odisha FC’s first-ever silverware. Mauricio felt both the coaches were more or less the same in many aspects in motivating their players and having faith in them to turn every game around.

“I think both of them were very good, starting with Josep and then finishing the campaign with Clifford. I spent a long time with Josep. He helped me a lot, as well as the team. He brought out the best from his players,” Mauricio opined about their former head-coach Josep Gombau.

The Brazilian shared that Miranda was always there for his players and he had conversations with him after winning the Cup and also after securing their place in the AFC Cup by beating Gokulam Kerala FC. “Clifford served as my mentor, always encouraging his players to perform well and win the championship. I had conversations with him in the dressing room after becoming the Hero Super Cup champions by defeating Bengaluru FC, and also after winning the Hero Club Playoffs against Gokulam Kerala FC. He is a very nice guy,” he explained.

Mauricio, who has featured in the highest level of Asian Football feels that the AFC Cup will be a good challenge for Odisha FC next season. Mauricio has been a part of Mumbai City FC’s AFC Champions League campaign where they became the first Indian team to register a win in the tournament. He even netted a goal in that game and it was crazy for Indian football.

“Having the experience of playing against top teams in the AFC Champions League, I am looking forward to the AFC Cup. We will be competing against different clubs, each with their own unique tactics. It will be a new challenge for the club, but it will also be a valuable learning experience for both the players and the club as a whole,” he concluded.

Odisha FC have hired Lobera and are looking to reunite the likes of Mourtada Fall,  Ahmed Jahouh and Lenny Rodrigues. It will be interesting to see how Lobera does in AFC Cup and also against his former teams FC Goa and Mumbai City FC.