Tomislav Mrcela, 6-foot 4 inches tall, joined SC East Bengal for the upcoming Indian Super League (ISL) 2021-22 season to bolster the Red & Gold defence.
Tomislav is the second foreigner to join SC East Bengal.
He was born in Perth, but grew up at Croatia, joining the youth academy of Dalmatian side RNK Split in 2001. He left the city of Split after spending eight years at RNK Split to join Jadran Kaštel, the third division side in Croatia at the time. He later played for NK Primorac 1929, NK Imotski, NK Mosor, NK Hrvatski Dragovoljac and NK Lokomotiva. In between he had played in South Korea for Jeonnam Dragons. In 2018 he joined Perth Glory at A-League. His contribution towards Perth Glory is massive and also helped his side to win the A-League premiership.
Tomislav was named in the 23-man squad for Australia in 2018 World Cup qualifying matches against Kyrgyzstan.
Talking regarding his decision to join SC East Bengal, Tomislav said that he has received good feedback about the club and came to know from his friends that how big the club is in this part of the world.
“I have got good feedback about the club. I have friends who have played in India and also know a thing or two about the club, and they tell me how big it is in this part of the world,” said Tomislav, after putting pen-to-paper for the red-and-gold brigade.
“I will look to add experience at the heart of the defence and take care of the locker room as well. The atmosphere within the team is very important and I will leave no stone unturned in doing what needs to be done for the team’s benefit.
“I also know how passionate the fans are here and it’s unfortunate that they can’t be in the stands cheering us. We play for them and we will do everything we can to make them happy. I can’t wait to start the season.”
Tomislav’s experience will boost strength at SC East Bengal defence.
