Rodolfo Borrell joins Austin FC as new sporting director

  • Borrell started out as global technical director but then promoted to assistant manager
  • Worked with Liverpool and Barcelona in the past
  • Was key in the development of stars such as Lionel Messi and Cesc Fabregas
Borrell was previously with Manchester City
Borrell was previously with Manchester City / PAUL ELLIS/GettyImages
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Austin FC have made headlines with the hiring of Rodoflo Borrell as their new sporting director.

Borrell joins the Verde and Black with plenty of experience after working with the biggest football clubs in the game like FC Barcelona and Liverpool. Though he joins Austin as a sporting director, he previously worked as an assistant manager under the legendary Pep Guardiola at Manchester City.

The 52-year-old first started out coaching in Barcelona's renowned academy before arriving at Liverpool in 2009 as Second Team Head Coach and Academy Technical Director. Five years later, Borrell joined the current Premier League and Champions League winners Man City as a Global Technical Director, winning 14 major trophies during his time at the club.

Guardiola was so impressed with Borrell that he was promoted to assistant head coach in 2016. As they say, the rest is history in regards to what the Manchester-based club has gone on to achieve.

"I’m very excited to join Austin FC," said Borrell following the announcement. "It’s an ambitious club in a vibrant city with fantastic fan support and great ownership. I look forward to working closely with the coaches, staff, and players to help this organization win trophies and establish itself as a consistently elite team in Major League Soccer."

The move for Borrell comes after Austin promoted then interim sporting director Sean Rubio to Senior Vice President of Player Personnel. As well as taking on duties as sporting director, Borrell will also take on responsibilities as Chief Soccer Officer.

"All of us at Austin FC wish Rodolfo and his family a warm welcome to our city and to our club," said Austin majority owner and CEO Anthony Precourt.

"He brings an incredibly impressive track record, a wealth of experience, and passion for the beautiful game, and we fully believe he is the right person to move our ambitions forward and develop the best players, coaches, and staff for the first team, second team, and academy."