CHENNAI: Spanish midfielder Alberto Noguera has been one of the best foreign players in the Indian Super League for quite some. His first club in India was FC Goa, where he played under Clifford Miranda, the current coach of Chennaiyin FC. There, Noguera helped Goa win the Durand Cup. But he saw bigger success in his time at Mumbai City FC, winning the 2022-23 ISL shield, followed by the ISL cup win in 23-24 season. The next year, he joined Bengaluru FC. Playing as an advanced midfielder, Noguera was one of the key players in the team's journey to the final.
Now at Chennaiyin FC Noguera so far, is deployed as a deep-lying playmaker. While he has played that role in a few matches for Bengaluru, He explained how he is adapting to his role here. "Different teams, different things," he begins, before adding, "The situations are not the same, in BFC we were like doing well. The players have been there for a long time and they were settled. This club (Chennaiyin) is a little different because everything is getting started. Things are building up. So, here the role is a bit different because after the role clarity, we need to improve in things and this is a project that takes time," he told this daily on Monday.
As foreign players left their respective ISL clubs due to the delay in the start of the league owing to administrative issues, Noguera was one of the few players who decided to return to play in India. After his stint in Bengaluru FC, which ended on May 30, 2025, he returned to his home in Madrid to play for CF Rayo Majadahonda.
"I was happy because after a long time staying with my family and my girlfriend. At that moment it was the right decision to stay there.
But after the league was announced, Clifford called me and explained the project. I was convinced by it. One more year here trying to play for a club that has the will to do things. At that moment, it was the right decision," he said.
Noguera has made 395 professional appearances, including a few for Atletico Madrid and Blackpool in England. The 36-year-old, when asked about how he is planning his years ahead, said that he is trying to 'survive day by day.'
"I'm just thinking day by day, trying to survive every day and not to get injured. You never know what is going to happen, because it's very difficult to leave everything there in your country, I'm very far from my family. I don't know what is going to happen, really. I just want to finish this season in the best way possible, be it in the top five, top three, or the top two. I'm just trying to give my best and we'll see next year, if I have the chance to come here, I will think about it, if not I will be happy to find another phase. For now, I'm just trying to focus on today and we'll see about tomorrow," he said.
Time in Europe
He has played with the likes of Sergio Aguero and Diego Forlan in Atletico Madrid and has been part of the Blackpool team in 2012 that played in the EFL Championship. One key lesson he learnt from playing in different set-ups is to adapt.
"Everywhere you go, you need to adapt to the philosophy that the club and the coach wanted. When I was playing Atletico in that moment, it was before Diego Simeone came, so everything was a bit different, you know, we tried to play good football and everything, then Simeone came, he wanted a different kind of football, then I went to England. England is more like back and forth all the time, direct football, so you need to adapt, because if you want to play, you want to compete with them, you need to adapt, so it happened everywhere, like wherever you're going, you need to adapt to the players, to the coaches, to the club philosophy, everything, so football is always the same, it just changes the way that some people see it. Here I think the coach wanted to implement a philosophy, where he wants good football by keeping the ball but it takes time, so we need to adapt to him and to the philosophy," he explained.