Kiyan Nassiri Giri, the son of former player Jamshed Nassiri, rose through the ranks of Mohun Bagan Athletic Club and has already proclaimed his debut into Indian football following a magnificent performance on Saturday. His fortunes are anticipated to improve now that he is being groomed by ATK Mohun Bagan mastermind Juan Ferrando, who has a talent for grooming kids.
This wasn’t, however, the first time he’d gotten some playing time. The youngster made his debut for ATK Mohun Bagan earlier this season when he came on as a substitute against Kerala Blasters. Because of his father’s legendary status in Kolkata Maidan and Indian football, he had a lot riding on him.
Kiyan Nassiri Giri’s Debut
On March 1, 2020, Kiyan Nassiri made his senior debut for Mohun Bagan against TRAU FC in an I-League match. The 19-year-old, who was a member of the U-19 team, wowed then-Mohun Bagan head coach Kibu Vicuna during tryouts in Goa and earned a spot in the senior team that season. The match against TRAU was won by Mohun Bagan by a clear 3-1 margin. In that campaign, he only made one appearance.
Kiyan Nassiri’s ISL debut, on the other hand, came against Kerala Blasters on November 19, 2021, in a match in which ATK Mohun Bagan outplayed the Blasters 4-2 to win. He’d also played some minutes in ATKMB’s AFC Cup loss to FC Nasaf by that point.
He was picked up for the Bengal U-13 camp in Kalyani in 2014, where scouts from Mohun Bagan noticed him. Without further ado, the team signed him to the Nursery League. Nassiri was a member of the club for two seasons (2013/14 and 2014/15). He then joined the Calcutta Football Club, where he was coached by his father, Jamshed Nassiri.
When India’s U-16 camp played two friendly matches against Calcutta Football Club in 2016/17, Kiyan Nassiri drew Bibiano Fernandes’ attention. He played for Mohammedan SC in the Elite League as a 16-year-old. He also played for the Black Panthers in the Calcutta Football League (senior level).
Kiyan embraced the maroon and green colors once more in 2019. He had a strong showing in the Zee Bangla League (a U-19 league) in 2019, a competition that included a few Kolkata powerhouses as well as clubs from all over the state.
Positives Aspects
Kiyan Nassiri, the child with a famous surname, startled the Indian football world on Saturday when he came on as a second-half substitute for Deepak Tangri. Nassiri scored a hat-trick in just 29 minutes of action, bringing Bagan back from the brink of defeat and writing history.
Nassiri was brought on just moments after SC East Bengal had taken the lead and scored with his first touch in the 64th minute. He struck a lovely half-volley to send the Bagan bench into ecstasy before completing a historic hat-trick to forever imprint his name on Derby folklore some 20-ish minutes later.
Kiyan Nassiri has now become the fifth player in the Kolkata Derby to score a hat-trick. He joins Amiya Deb, Asit Ganguly, Bhaichung Bhutia, and Chidi Edeh as the only five players to score a treble in Indian football’s biggest match. Nassiri is also the first player to score a hat-trick in the Derby since Edeh Chidi in 2009. Chidi had also scored in the I-League for Mohun Bagan.
Three shots and three goals indicate that this 21-year-old knows how to score goals and where they are. He scored with both feet in the Derby and, as the first goal demonstrated, has a superb technique and poaching ability. The third goal, like the second, demonstrated this skill and serenity to convert into a sea of white. All three goals also demonstrated his ability to be in the right place at the right moment.
Places Needed to Improve
Kiyan Nassiri only appeared three times in the derby, but each time he did, he scored. His scoring prowess calls for greater playing time. There are a few things to look forward to if he plays a complete match in the future matchups. To begin with, his heading ability, as he scored all of his goals with his feet. Heading talents are crucial for a forward.
Furthermore, his dribbling and pushing skills have yet to be acknowledged. We have yet to see how he reacts to various situations during a match, such as dropping deep to circulate the ball, assisting in the defensive third, going to the wings when marked by the center-backs, and so on. However, as a forward, he has received letter grades in the primary criterion, which is the ability to score goals.
Future of Kiyan Nassiri
In this season of the ISL, there are a few more matches – a few spans of the whole 90 minutes – some thrilling movements and great goals. In the summer, a combination of these three requirements will be enough to make him the “talk of the town.” In the coming years, several strong seasons may allow us to see another Indian footballer swoon over.
However, it is difficult to predict whether he will leave ATK Mohun Bagan at this time. Kolkata clubs have a penchant for referring to players as “Ghorer Chele” (The player who has remained devoted to the club and played for the major part of his career or the entire one for them). Also, as the son of Jamshed Nassiri, Kiyan will likely confer with his father about his career’s transfer activities.
