A well-traveled and distinguished Spanish coach has been tapped to handle the Philippine national football team, the Philippine Football Federation (PFF) announced on Tuesday.

National team director Freddy Gonzalez said that Albert Capellas, who once served as FC Barcelona B assistant, will take over from interim coach Norman Fegidero.

“I’m very proud to be a part of this journey. For me it’s a fantastic feeling to be here, to help the Federation to go to the next level because that’s what they are looking for,” said Capella, who was in Malaysia for the recent Merdeka Cup.

“When Freddy asked me to join this project and explained to me what they are working on to make the federation better, and to deliver the best for the players, and how he wanted to approach football for the coming years in the Philippine teams, I was aligned and it piqued my attention.”

“We clicked personally, which is very important for me — that you can be around people that you can work with and you can do your job. That’s why I’m here.”