Five foreign coaches who worked in Indian youth football

These coaches brought in a plethora of experience to Indian football.

Since the turn of the 21st century, Indian football has seen a relatively large inflow of influence from foreign personnel to elevate the overall quality of the game and players. Not only has the number of foreign players increased, but more and more foreign coaches have been brought over to use their expertise to help improve the technical aspects and IQ levels of the domestic players.

The Indian national football team has, of course, had a number of notable foreign coaches over the last few decades. However, the All-India Football Federation (AIFF) has also introduced some notable foreign coaches to train the youth team players and ensure they can get the best quality of coaching from a very young age indeed.

Even though there are not a plethora of foreign coaches who have coached youth football teams in India, there have been some renowned names who have had a positive impact on the up-and-coming youngsters over the last few decades.

Here, we look at the five foreign coaches to have worked in Indian youth football:

5. Nicolai Adam

Nicolai Adam was actually the first-ever foreign coach for the India under-17 and India under-16 sides, having been appointed to the role in 2015. He came with a wealth of experience behind him, having managed the Azerbaijan under-19 team and under-17 teams beforehand as well.

The German coach was able to help identify some of the top young talents for the India under-17 team and prepare the majority of the members of the 2017 FIFA U17 World Cup squad.

He managed 10 matches with the India U-17 side, with the Blue Colts defeating Belarus U17 under him in their only victory in that period.

Irrespective of the negative results, Adam helped improve the technical aspects of the young Indian players and helped them build more character to take the fight to prominent opposition – with India producing a decent effort in their 1-0 loss to Iran U17 in one of their final matches under Adam, who left the role in early 2017.

4. Robert Roelofsen

Robert Roelofsen has earned a decent amount of experience in his career before arriving in India, having worked as a youth team coach for clubs like FC Nürnberg and Wolfsburg.

In 2023, he was appointed as the director of youth football for the Reliance Foundation Young Champs Academy and has also been working as the head coach for the Reliance Foundation Young Champs team.

He’s not only been working on improving the technical ability of the youngsters, making them more disciplined and physically sturdy for top-level matches, but the Dutchman has also done a commendable job in terms of coaching them for competitive matches, too.

He helped them compete strongly in the RF Development League in recent years, ensuring they can produce solid results against prominent opposition as well.

Also Read: EXCLUSIVE: RFYC Head of Youth Robert Roelofsen opens up on youth development, scouting & more

3. Colin Toal

Colin Toal is the longest-serving foreign coach for any Indian national youth team in Indian football history, and he was really devoted to elevating the overall quality of the youth football scene in India after assuming the role in 2007.

He gained a lot of praise as an assistant coach of Udinese in the 2001/02 season, working under coaches like Roy Hodgson and Alessandro Zampa. Toal worked as the head coach of the under-20 men’s team and also a director of youth development.

There might not be many renowned achievements for the Blue Colts during that period, but Toal definitely helped the younger players grow under him with some invaluable coaching advice.

He served in the role(s) for seven years, from 2007 to April 2014, showcasing admirable devotion to elevating the general quality of the young footballers in India.

2. Luis Norton de Matos

Luis Norton de Matos arrived in Indian football at a very delicate moment, taking over the India U17 national football team right before their debut in the FIFA U17 World Cup.

Matos arrived in Indian football with over two decades of coaching experience behind him and having managed the likes of Vitoria Guimaraes and the Guinea-Bissau team in the past, but this was a pretty challenging job for him. He managed the India U17 and India U19 teams, as well as the India Arrows side, for two years.

During that period, Luis helped to identify the best young talents available at the time to prepare for the U17 FIFA World Cup, with the Blue Colts producing some decent performances in the preparation as well.

Even though India lost all three matches at the U17 World Cup, they showcased a lot of grit and determination thanks to Norton’s coaching.

The Portuguese gaffer was able to elevate the quality of multiple youngsters, giving a platform to players like Anwar Ali, Boris Singh, Lalengmawia Ralte and Rahul KP to shine and go on to become prominent players for Indian football in the future.  

1. Joakim Alexandersson

Joakim Alexandersson was appointed to elevate the overall quality of the Indian Women’s National youth teams in 2024, after having worked as a youth coach for Swedish side IF Elfsborg. The Swedish coach has ended up making a significant impact in getting the best out of talented young girls who have come up through the ranks at the international level under him.

Alexandersson quickly elevated the quality of the India U20 Women’s Team and the India U17 Women’s Team with his clever coaching, improving their overall playing style and making them a much braver and more dominant unit.

He played a crucial role in helping the India U20 Women’s side qualify for the AFC U20 Women’s Asian Cup and the India U17 Women’s team for the AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup, which will happen in 2026. The future looks bright for the Indian women’s youth team, and Alexandersson deserves utmost praise for that.

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