ATK Mohun Bagan rope in Spanish centre-back Tiri

The 29-year-old will be an asset for Antonio Habas and his men as they look forward to a challenging AFC Cup campaign.

ATK Mohun Bagan have announced a new arrival in the form of Spanish centre-back Tiri, who becomes their sixth foreigner for the upcoming season.

Tiri started his football journey with the Cadiz U-19 team. He then featured for Cadiz "B" before joining Atletico Madrid's "B" team and plied his trade in the Spanish third tier. However, his career turned around completely when he joined Indian Super League outfit ATK in 2015 and was part of their ISL-winning side under Jose Molina a year later. He was a vital cog in that team and his consistent performances helped clinch the crown.

However, Tiri moved back to Spain and played for Marbella FC, before again returning to India, this time with Jamshedpur FC. He led the Men of Steel for three seasons and was a fan-favourite at the club.

At the end of last season, he wanted to try a different challenge and almost joined Kerala Blasters, but some contractual complications meant that the deal failed to materialize, The 29-year-old centre-back had a lot of suitors, but ATK Mohun Bagan head coach Antonio Lopez Habas managed to convince him to head back to Kolkata, where his journey started on Indian shores.

The 2020-21 season will be his sixth for the Spaniard in the ISL and therefore he knows Indian football more than any other foreigner around. He is one of the longest-serving overseas players in the ISL era.

With a challenging AFC Cup campaign also looming, Tiri can be an asset for Habas and his men. His exceptional game-reading skills coupled with his seamless ability to play the ball out from the back solidifies the backline even more. Moreover, his leadership qualities will be an added bonus for the Spanish tactician.

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Tiri's announcement means ATK Mohun Bagan have six foreigners in their ranks. They have already announced extensions for David Williams, Carl McHugh, Roy Krishna and Edu Garcia, while Javi Hernandez has another year left on his contract.