'He's one of the best coaches I’ve ever had'

Sanchez spent almost a decade in the elite tiers of Spanish football with clubs like Real Zaragoa and Osasuna, where he played alongside Western Sydney Wanderers striker Oriol Riera.

The Spaniard's 21 goals for Olympic this season helped secure the former NSL club a NSW NPL League and Grand Final double for first time in seven seasons.

The classy striker may have been mentored by top class coaches but the 29-year-old is keen to put Saad’s coaching acumen alongside some of his previous managers.

“He is one of the best coaches that I’ve ever had,” he told FTBL.

“He has been absolutely magnificent for the club. Abbas knows how to manage people and that is the most important thing for a coach.

“Because we all know how to play on the pitch, and if you know how to manage a group of players it’s going to be really good for a team.

 “I remember the first chat that we had. Abbas told me that he was a striker and he was going to teach me a lot of things about Australian soccer.

“I really appreciate those words and we have had a strong relationship. Not just like a coach and a player but a relationship between two people that went beyond football.”