Unexpected! Player who cost Sporting a title takes over national side | OneFootball

Bryan Ruiz, former Sporting midfielder, has been appointed interim head coach of Costa Rica. The former 41-year-old international takes over after the dismissal of Argentine Fernando Batista and already has an immediate mission in the CONCACAF Nations League.

“Former national team player and technical director Bryan Ruiz will take temporary charge of the team for Costa Rica’s remaining Nations League matches,” the Costa Rican Football Federation said in a statement.

Bryan Ruiz will make his debut on the bench as early as this Thursday, against Nicaragua, in the third and penultimate matchday of Group A in League A. Costa Rica go into the game in a delicate position, sitting in fifth place, which leads to the relegation play-off.

The Costa Rican national team has yet to pick up a point during this international break. They lost at home to Curaçao, 4-3, after throwing away a three-goal lead, and then suffered another defeat against Haiti, 2-0, in a match played in Jamaica.

Fernando Batista leaves the post after a winless spell. The Argentine coach recorded one draw and five defeats in seven months, leaving Costa Rica virtually out of the Nations League quarter-finals and further away from direct qualification for the 2027 Gold Cup.

Bryan Ruiz knows the national team setup inside out. He is Costa Rica’s third-most capped player, with 147 appearances and 29 goals between 2005 and 2022. He represented the country at three World Cups, one Copa América and six editions of the Gold Cup, and also won the Central American Cup in 2014.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.