Ninh Binh introduces Spanish coach

In preparation for the first season in V.League, Ninh Binh has announced the coaching staff and foreign players from Spain.

Coach Gerard Albadalejo will lead Ninh Binh in the 2025/26 season. Photo: Phu Dong Ninh Binh FC .

On the afternoon of July 2, Ninh Binh officially introduced Spanish coach Gerard Albadalejo. The strategist born in 1983 will lead the team in the 2025/26 season.

"I am very happy to receive such a warm welcome in Vietnam. We are here to accompany the club, together towards new successes. The greatest strength of the team is the spirit of solidarity as a family. I see this as an exciting and inspiring challenge. Now it is time to get to work because actions are always more important than words," coach Gerard Albadalejo shared at the announcement ceremony.

Mr. Gerard is not a strange name to Spanish experts. Before coming to Ninh Binh, this coach held the role of assistant at Lleida Esportiu, a team playing in Segunda Division B. From 2015 to 2017, he was promoted to lead the reserve team, before officially taking charge of the first team in July 2017. The biggest mark of the coach born in 1983 was in the 2017/18 season. He helped Lleida create an earthquake in the Spanish King's Cup with a 3-2 victory over Real Sociedad in the round of 16.

After his time at Lleida, Albadalejo continued to work at many clubs in the Spanish professional system such as Orihuela (2019–2021), Esportiu Europa (2022), Atletico Saguntino (2022–2023) and Badalona II (2023–2024). He temporarily stopped coaching from September 2024.

Accompanying coach Gerard to Vietnam is a team of 5 people including a technical assistant, fitness coach, goalkeeper coach, performance analyst and recovery specialist. Among them, the goalkeeper coach comes from Villarreal's youth team, the technical assistant has worked at clubs in Qatar and Saudi Arabia. All are well-trained, bringing with them a foundation of modern European football.

Coach and new players of Ninh Binh. Photo: Phu Dong Ninh Binh FC.

Before his debut, Mr. Gerard spent 2 months carefully researching Vietnamese football and Ninh Binh. With a youthful, modern and tactically-intensive working style, the Spanish coach is expected to turn Ninh Binh into a strong team both professionally and mentally, right in the first season in the V.League.

Regarding foreign players, the ancient capital team has completed contracts with two Spanish foreign players, including a central defender and a midfielder. Of these, central defender Alfredo Pedraza was trained at Atletico Madrid, promising to add steel to the defense. The remaining midfielder possesses good personal technique.

In addition, Ninh Binh is also preparing to introduce two Brazilian strikers. One of them is Gustavo Henrique, a former striker of CAHN. The ancient capital team also plans to soon add another top striker to complete the foreign squad before the training period. Domestic players such as Duc Chien, Chau Ngoc Quang, Dung Quang Nho, Tran Bao Toan... have also officially arrived at Ninh Binh.

Source: https://znews.vn/ninh-binh-ra-mat-hlv-nguoi-tay-ban-nha-post1565520.html