Cuadrat, 55, came to prominence as coach of Bengaluru FC, leading the team to victory in the Indian Super League (ISL) in the 2018-2019 season. He's also worked across Europe, including in Cyprus with Aris Limassol and Denmark with Midtjylland.
As a player, the former fullback came through the La Masia system at Barcelona, playing for both the C and B teams, where he would taste senior action in preseason alongside the likes of Gary Lineker and Bernd Schuster. His senior career would be cut short at 30, which after spells with CF Gava and Sabadell, led him back to La Masia to begin his coaching journey.
Tribalfootball.com was delighted to catch up with Cuadrat, as he discussed openly his time with Barca, how coaching has taken him around the world and his hopes for the future of football in India.
We all know the reputation of La Masia. But as someone who has benefited both as a player and coach from the system, does it's glowing reputation ring true?
“To play at La Masia was very important and I was lucky to play there because you always had top competition, top coaches, top opponents so my experience, I must say, was where I enjoyed things most.
"We had to play youth championships against important teams like Bilbao, Real Madrid and it is very nice for a player to live that kind of experience because it improves you and you learn a lot from it. Also in that period I was part of the Spain youth team and I enjoyed a lot my time there because we played against some of the most important national teams and it helped me a lot as a player."
First a player, then a working coach at La Masia - how was that experience?
“I have to say that is very interesting how Barca lays out it's project with the kids of the academy at La Masia. It is becoming popular all over the world because it’s true they create very good players.
"We all have in our mind players like Puyol, Pique, Xavi, Iniesta, Messi etc. Now it’s happening again with players like Yamal,Cubarsi, Pedri, Gavi. They have a special way of working with the talents, but also they put a lot of importance on forming good human beings.
"I am very happy with the things I learned at La Masia because after that I had enough knowledge and leadership to become a good coach and try to teach different important values to the players in the clubs that I worked at. At Barcelona they take care of you in all your development as a person and I think that's very important."
You followed Frank Rijkaard from Galatasaray to the Saudi Arabian national team. Did Rijkaard's coaching have an influence on you?
“Yes Frank is a great person, a great human being and I was very lucky to have worked with him because I learned a lot from him. One of the most important things that I have learned from him is how to manage the locker room because he has played and trained big clubs and won a lots of titles and so he knows how to deal with the pressure of achieving great things and how to fight for important objectives.
"Due to my experience as a player of not playing for important clubs and not being part of locker rooms with important players, I took advantage of working with Frank to learn more about this aspect. With him I learned how to manage the pressure of playing in the big matches, how to manage the egos of the most important players in your team.
"Also with us staff, despite his big name or career, he treated us with a great respect and made every one of us feel important for the team."
And what about being part of Rikjaard's staff with the Saudi Arabian national team?
“I was part of the Saudi Arabia national team in 2011 and I am seeing now players that in that period were young ones 18-19 years old that made the debut with Frank and now are big stars in the country.
"Not only working on their local talent, but I have seen that they are making a great effort to bring in the best football players from Europe, along with coaches and other important figures of football in order to develop their game and get as good as they can.
"Also they have a clear target - the 2030 World Cup. This target also helps them to produce more effort and money in order to achieve the results they want to achieve in the football world.
"In the end I can say that they are on the right path to make a powerful league and a powerful national team."
Now you're succeeding in India - another potential sleeping giant. How is football seen across the country?
“Trying different experiences in different countries helped me a lot as a coach because I learned different football cultures and philosophies. In India I had the opportunity to become a head coach and I really appreciated that the clubs here trusted me so we together could achieve some important results.
"I won the league in 2019 with Bengaluru and now this season I won the Cup with East Bengal.
"Finally in India I became a champion coach so for me it’s the most beautiful experience because I was taking the last decision and trying to fix things and instead when you are an assistant coach there are good moments of course but in the end it’s another person who makes the decision. So it is a great moment of enjoyment for me that I was the person who made Bengaluru win a first title in the history of the club and made possible for East Bengal to win a Cup after 12 years."
What about the potential of football in India?
“It is very important for the country to have a clear project and the India Super League has brought that clear project. It’s only the 10th edition so it is a quite young competition compared to the other leagues of the Asian countries.
"To make the next step you have to invest that kind of money, that kind of energy, of work during the next 20-30 years in order to achieve something important. I can see the evolution in the national team, the players are more physical, with better technique, with better knowledge of the game, but it takes time and a lot of patience.
"But I am sure if things continue in the same way they are now and people have patience then results will come for the Indian national team in the future. Because projects and plans need a lot of work in order to be successful."
And what about East Bengal's expectations? They're a massive, massive club for the region, aren't they?
“Yes East Bengal is one of the most historical clubs in the region and has a long history behind with great success. There is a big rivalry with the other club in the city called Kolkata. Our city is a city of football because there are different clubs here. In our club due to the past financial problems of the previous owners there's been a long period without success.
"The club called me and hired me with the clear project of making the club successful again as it deserves and as the fans of this club deserves. We created an important project with the club, we bought the players necessary for us and in my first season we won an important Cup.
"So it means that next season we are going to play the Asian competition and this is very important for the club because it is a great and historical one and has been out of the competition for 10 years. So it is very important for us that we represent India on the continent and make our fans proud. Now we are going to start our second year of the project and we expect that we can increase our competitive level and to make our fans proud again."
You're now well established in India, but could we see you eventually returning home to coach in Spain?
“I understand that the clubs in Spain see that I have a great experience abroad but not in Spain. So it’s normal that I don’t receive top offers because the clubs want to choose coaches who are there and know what is going on with local players and are more specialist in the local market.
"I love Barca and I think maybe in the future I will have an opportunity to coach there. I am going to keep working in India at East Bengal for the foreseeable future and try to build something that people are going to be happy with, then after that I will take my decision.
"If I feel comfortable in the Indian Super League maybe I will continue working there because it’s a country I love. It has given a lot to me and so maybe my future will be in India for many more years."