Sanchita Chatterjee, BS News Agency: Moving from the Mohun Bagan dugout to facing Argentina—a feat only José Molina could achieve. A familiar face in the world of the ISL, Molina has left his magic touch on Indian football, having led ATK to the championship and brought soaring success to Mohun Bagan. Now the head coach of the Honduras national team, Molina saw his side suffer a 2–0 defeat against Argentina in a pre-World Cup friendly. Lautaro Martínez put Argentina ahead with a penalty in the 37th minute, and Simeone doubled the lead in the 54th minute.
While it was a warm-up match for Argentina, the game held special significance in Bengal due to Molina's presence, with everyone eager to see how he would contain Lionel Messi—though Messi ultimately watched his team's victory from the sidelines. Molina has embraced a new challenge in Honduras; his battle is no longer at the club level but involves facing the powerhouses of international football.
He arrived in India in 2016 as the head coach of ATK and led the team to the ISL championship.
Returning to Spain, he served as the Sporting Director of the Royal Spanish Football Federation from 2018 to 2022.
He later returned to India as the coach of Mohun Bagan, earning acclaim by winning both the ISL League Winners' Shield and the ISL Cup in his debut season. However, a disappointing performance in the Super Cup led to his departure from the club. He then embarked on a new assignment, becoming the head coach of the Honduras national team in February of this year. Under his guidance, Honduras drew 2–2 against Peru in their first match in March. Elevating Honduras to new heights on the international stage represents his latest challenge.