He's back — truly back. José Ramirez Barreto has returned to Indian football, bringing with him that familiar elegance on the ball and the unmistakable presence in the dugout.
This time, though, he isn’t wearing a player’s jersey but stepping into a new chapter as head coach of the Howrah-Hooghly Warriors for the upcoming Bengal Super League (BSL), which kicks off on December 14. He has already begun training his squad at the Aditya School ground in Barasat.
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Barreto had left Mumbai’s Reliance Academy around four months ago and returned to Brazil, deciding he would only take on a senior coaching role, not serve as an assistant. When such an opportunity didn’t arrive, he quietly left Kolkata with a hint of disappointment.
The BSL — organised by the IFA and Shrachi Sports — has now opened the door for his comeback. Not only is he coaching in the league, but he is also joining a long-term project with Shrachi, ensuring his stay in Kolkata. He reunites with former teammate Sangram Mukhopadhyay, now the team’s goalkeeping coach, while Shishir Ghosh serves as mentor. The squad includes two overseas players from Germany and Uruguay, along with Brazilian striker Pablo Cesar, widely known for his I-League goal-scoring exploits.
With uncertainty looming over the ISL, Bengal’s football attention has shifted squarely to the BSL, featuring the top eight district teams. Recently, World Cup-winning German legend Lothar Matthäus endorsed the league as its brand ambassador and will make another appearance during the tournament.
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Other teams are also gearing up, many coached by Barreto’s former teammates — Mehtab Hossain (Sundarban Bengal Auto FC), Deepak Mandal (Burdwan Blasters), Biswajit Bhattacharya (North Bengal United), Shahid Raman (Malda-Murshidabad), and Gautam Ghosh (North 24 Parganas).
But the spotlight is undeniably on Barreto. “Barreto is extremely serious about coaching,” said Nikhil Shah, a senior official of the Howrah-Hooghly Warriors. “We are not even allowed to enter the field during training. Practice is divided into three sessions. There’s no room for taking it lightly.”
All BSL matches will be broadcast live, with exciting district-level initiatives planned to elevate the buzz. As the ISL remains uncertain, the BSL is stepping up to fill the void — and Barreto is right at the heart of this new football chapter.
