Kitchee are delighted to announce the appointment of Spaniard Íñigo Calderón as Head Coach of the First Team.
Coming from the Deportivo Alavés academy, Calderón began his professional playing career and played for the Spanish sides in the Segunda División for over 50 times before moving to Brighton & Hove Albion, where he enjoyed significant success as a right-back for 7 seasons, including guiding the League One sides to secure promotion to the EFL Championship in the 2010/11 season.
After calling time on his career at Indian Super League sides Chennaiyin FC in 2019, Calderón, who secured a UEFA Pro License, transitioned into coaching with Deportivo Alavés U19 before returning to Brighton & Hove Albion to transform the U18 sides into one of the successful academy teams in Europe as Head Coach. In late 2024, he was appointed the manager of League One sides Bristol Rovers FC.
The academic achievement of the 43-year-old is also worth to mention as he earned a Sports Science degree by the age of 24 and a master’s degree in Sports Psychology at 26. With the Club prioritizes the development and integration of young, promising players into the squad, Kitchee hope Calderón’s strong track record of working with and developing young players will ensure a continuous stream of talent for the future.
‘I think the Club and I share the same idea and approach in terms of style and play, and I think this is going to be a great platform for me to raise the level of performance for the First Team, the Academy system, etc. With all the positive aspects from the people at the Club that I have known for years, I believe that we can make a difference.’ Calderón said.