It’s an age-old saying that the Kolkata Derby always produces a new hero. Likewise, Kiyan Nassiri came under the spotlight after a derby hattrick against arch-rival East Bengal on January 29, 2022. In just a 29-minute glimpse, the 22-year-old Kiyan Nassiri showed that Indian football is going to have another bright prospect in the form of him.
Kiyan Nassiri: Son of an East Bengal Legend:
The youngest hat-trick scorer in the history of the Hero ISL was born on November 17, 2000, in Kolkata. Kiyan was born to Jamshid Nassiri and Suzanne, one of whom is Iranian and the other is Indian. Jamshid Nassiri, who hailed from Iran, had played professional football in Kolkata, and Suzanne, Kiyan’s mother, is from Kolkata.
In 1979, Jamshid Nassiri came to India to pursue his studies at Aligarh Muslim University and was later scouted by East Bengal recruiters. After Chima Okorie, he became the second-highest foreign goal scorer in the history of East Bengal, scoring 75 goals. Besides East Bengal, the Iranian superstar played for another Kolkata-based club, Mohammedan SC, and also served them as their head coach.
Career Highlights: Kiyan Nassiri:
During his school days, Kiyan Nassiri was a part of the Bengal U14 camp in 2014. He also went to play for the Mohammedan SC U16 I-League team. Later in 2019, Kiyan joined the Mohun Bagan U19 side to play in the Zee Bangla Football League.
Kiyan impressed Mohun Bagan coach Kibu Vicuna at the 2019-20 pre-season trail and got promotion to the senior team. He also made his I-League debut under Vicuna in 2020. Following the merger of ATK and Mohun Bagan, he signed a long deal with that time’s ATK Mohun Bagan and was also included in the 2021–22 Hero ISL squad.
Kiyan scored a Kolkata Derby hat trick in 2022, which helped his team win the match 3-1. He became the youngest ever player in the ISL to score a hat trick. After his match-deciding performance, Kiyan soon became a familiar face in Indian football.
Till now, Kiyan Nassiri has played 46 matches for Mohun Bagan Super Giant, in which he scored seven goals. The versatile striker is now with MBSG for the Durand Cup knockout matches.
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