ISL 2018: Mumbai City sign Brazilian midfielder Rafael Bastos on one-year-deal
What's the story?
Mumbai City FC have announced the arrival of attacking midfielder Rafael Bastos on a one-year deal. The Brazilian is the second player to join Mumbai in two days after the Islanders signed Marko Klisura yesterday.
In case you didn't know...
The Brazilian attacking midfielder has been a journeyman throughout his career.
Starting off in Brazil, Bastos quickly moved to Portugal to play sides such as Belenenses, Nacional, and Vitoria. His big break came when he joined Braga in 2010. Despite his good start with Braga, Bastos only made eight appearances throughout the season. This was due to a conflict with the head coach.
He later went on to play in various countries, such as Romania, Kuwait, Bulgaria, and Saudi Arabia. The Brazilian even played for Chapecoense in 2016, the same year in which the club lost almost the entire squad in a plane crash.
The heart of the matter
Mumbai City announced, via Twitter, that they have completed the signing of Brazilian Attacking midfielder Rafael Bastos on a one-year deal. Bastos last played for Brazilian second division club Clube de Regatas and will now link up with Jorge Costa and his men.
The new Mumbai City FC manager continues to mould the team in his own way. Under him. the Islanders have signed two players in two days.
Bastos' pace and power will be important for the Mumbai-based club during the upcoming Indian Super League season. He joins a squad, which has been built from scratch after suffering from a terrible 2017/18 campaign and finished 7th.
What's next?
It seems to bring back the glory days of the 2016 season, Mumbai will be putting out an entirely new team on the pitch. The Islanders have been very active in the transfer market, bringing in several new players along with a new coach. Time will tell whether this decision to go almost completely new will reap benefits for Mumbai.
Can Rafael Bastos help Mumbai City FC finish in the top four? Do let us know in the comments below.