Borja Herrera joins FC Goa on loan from East Bengal

Spanish midfielder Borja Herrera joined FC Goa on a loan deal from East Bengal for the remainder of the 2023-2024 season on Tuesday as a replacement for Victor Rodriguez. The deal brought to an end to the speculations about the deal.

According to a media release issued by the Margoa-based club, Borja's contract with the club will last till the end of the ongoing Indian football season.

"FC Goa are thrilled to announce the signing of experienced Spanish midfielder Borja Herrera on a short-term loan deal from East Bengal FC, that will see him don the iconic orange of the Club till the culmination of the ongoing 2023-24 season," FC Goa stated in the release.

East Bengal, also making an announcement about the deal, wrote on X, "Borja Herrera joins FC Goa on loan till the end of the current season. Once a Red and Gold, always a Red and Gold! Thanks for your time in the red and gold colours, Borja! Cheers for that #KalingaSuperCup triumph with us!"

Victor was ruled out of the remainder of the season after sustaining an injury during FC Goa's 4-1 win over Mohun Bagan in the Indian Super League on December 23 last year.

Since then, FC Goa had been in search for his replacement.

Borja, who joined East Bengal in 2023, is known for his versatility and dynamic presence on the field. His ability to rotate pace and outpace the opponents' defence from behind are particularly impressive. His clever passes from wide areas often set up his teammates for goal-scoring opportunities.

With East Bengal, he played a crucial role in the Red and Gold brigade's Super Cup win, the club's first national title in 12 years.

The 31-year-old was part of two vital moments of East Bengal's edge-of-the-seat 3-2 win over local favourite Odisha FC.

In the 62nd minute, Borja, bursting into the Odisha FC box, was tackled in the box. As he went down, East Bengal earned a penalty and Saul Crespo grabbing the chance with both hands scored from the spot kick to put East Bengal 2-1 up in the match.

Five minutes later, Borja, who joined the Red and Gold brigade in August 2023, would rattle the OFC defence again, forcing Mourtada Fall to elbow him in the box. It eventually resulted in a red card for the Odish FC player.

Born in Las Palmas, Canary Islands, Borja has a wealth of experience having started his football journey at UD Las Palmas’ academy before plying his trade across Spain, Israel and India.

FC Goa coach Manolo Marquez was key to Borja signing for the club as the Spaniard previously played under the coach at Hyderabad FC and worked together at Las Palmas.

“Borja is a great player technically. His versatility can help the team greatly because he plays in a lot of different positions. He is also a humble teammate, and always maintains a positive attitude," said Marquez.

“I worked with him at Las Palmas, he played his first game in LaLiga with me and was also a key player in Hyderabad last season,” Marquez added.

Acknowledging Marquez's role in reaching the deal, Borja said, "Coach Manolo has been a very important person in my career, not only because of the LaLiga debut – we have also experienced a nice promotion together and he was also the person who gave me the opportunity to come to India. I am happy to work with him again."