Pep Guardiola's former assistant has opened up on his decision to leave Manchester City in favour of a new opportunity in MLS.
Spaniard Rodolfo Borrell capped off six glorious years at the Etihad with a historic treble triumph which included the capturing of the club's first-ever Champions League trophy. The former academy technical director was promoted to the post as Guardiola's right-hand man upon his compatriot's arrival in England from Bayern Munich in 2016.
From there, he was a loyal confidant and support for the Catalan head coach and the pair helped to deliver five Premier League titles before finally bringing the holy grail of a European Cup to the blue half of Manchester. However, the landmark victory over Italian giants Inter Milan in the showpiece final turned out to be the last dance in the union between the 52-year-old and the Cityzens.
Now, a fresh chapter beckons for Borrell who has moved to the US to join Austin FC, this time as sporting director, a position he has never occupied before. The former Barcelona coach — where he helped to nurture Lionel Messi, Gerard Pique and Cesc Fabregas — will now take the operational reigns at the MLS franchise during an exciting time for the league.
The US league is getting ready to welcome incoming superstar Messi to Inter Miami later this month, with a flurry of blockbuster arrivals also set to accompany the World Cup winner in South Beach. The iconic winger's former Camp Nou teammates Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba are among the players who will join up with the 36-year-old stateside this summer.
Borrell has now explained his decision to depart Eastlands for Austin FC, especially following the success of last season alongside long-term ally Guardiola. He opened up on his desire to exert his influence on the entirety of a club, with his new position allowing him to undertake such responsibilities.
In a press conference, the former Liverpool employee asserted: "[I'm] trying to bring all the knowledge and experience that I have gathered in my almost 30 years of the top level clubs. I just think at this moment in my career. There were two ways: keep going the head coaching direction, and taking on the sporting director position. The sporting director [role], I think it allows me to influence the whole structure much more than being a head coach."
Borrell's decision to move stateside also means he will be working alongside Josh Wolff, and he revealed he was attracted to the role after keeping a close eye on the the former USMNT player's development as a coach. He said: "I think we have the right guy. We have the right stuff. I've been following a lot of the team and the way of playing, the way of trying to do things, is already aligned with what I would like to help develop further."
He added: "This is a great opportunity, I think it's the right people. It's the right place the right city - the right everything to join."
