Jose Francisco Molina, the former Spanish goalkeeper and a celebrated coach, is no stranger to challenges in life. And guiding his current team Mohun Bagan Super Giant to their first double crown of Indian Super League (ISL) – the league and the cup – had not been the most demanding one.
Back in 2001 and with Molina then in the high noon of his career with Deportivo La Coruna, life threw a curveball at him when he was diagnosed with the dreaded testicular cancer – something which afflicted the tainted Tour de France icon Lance Armstrong. After undergoing treatment, he was supposed to return to action when a dreaded relapse occurred – forcing him to announce a temporary retirement from the sport and leave the club extremely dear to him.
Cut to 2025, the 54-year-old Molina remains one of the most inspirational figures in Spain and the world of sport in general who beat cancer to take to top flight coaching and go on to become the Sporting Director of the Spanish national team. While he has nine international caps for Spain between 1996 and 2000, Molina has plied his trade for the likes of Atletico de Madrid, Valencia, Levante apart from Deportivo.
For a man of such standing, one would have expected Molina to be a wee bit condescending at any achievement in the context of Indian football – what with the country languishing in 126th position in Fifa rankings. The quintessential pro that he is, Molina was far from it as he said that he was still on a learning curve in his coaching career.
Does he see the double crown in ISL in the 2024-25 season as the peak of his career?
‘’To be honest, I always think that everyday I can be a better coach because I am learning every day, I’m trying things, I’m making mistakes. I keep working at it every day and I’m better as a coach,’’ he said in halting English at a late night media conference on Saturday after his men rallied to tame Sunil Chhetri’s Bengaluru FC in the final.
Incidentally, Molina had proved to be the man with the Midas touch for this historic Indian club when he had guided them to their first ISL crown in 2016, with the club then branded as ATK Mohun Bagan (thanks to a tie-up with Atletico Madrid).
‘’I don’t know if today is my best moment as a coach. Right now, I am very happy but I hope tomorrow I can be better,’’ Molina said as expectations rose among the fans if he would be around for the next season as well as the club’s campaign at the AFC Champions League Tier II later this year. Mohun Bagan Super Giants, incidentally, have qualified to represent India at the continental club competition.
The next season is still more than six months away and one has to wait and watch to find out if Molina returns to the heat and dust of Indian football. Local media reports say he has signed on the dotted lines for another season and he has surely has won the hearts of the club’s demanding supporters and the intrepid local media – stonewalling them at times but also keeping them in good humour by speaking a few words in the local lingo which he picked up during his stay here.
There are enough life lessons to learn from the man who is often called upon in Spain for delivering motivational talks on his experience of beating cancer. Speaking to students and teacher on the degree in Physical Activity and Sports, Molina said few years back: ‘’exercising helped me overcome cancer.’’
Elaborating on his regime, Molina said he would feel fatigued when he hit the gym during his chemotheraphy sessions. ‘’On weeks off, when I could go to the gym and do strength training with machines and weights, nothing out of this world. It helped me feel better,’’ he said. Once recovered, Molina said: ‘’I started pre-season training like any normal footballer, nothing I was not used to doing normally, because I wasn’t injured, just tired.’’
The City of Joy’s football fans, irrespective of club loyalties, will surely want this tall and strapping figure back in the technical arena when the action resumes next season. Till then, it’s adios to him for a well-earned break!
