The Kolkata Derby has a special meaning for all the faithful supporters of Mohun Bagan Super Giant and East Bengal FC.
However, its significance embraces an altogether fascinating shape in the Nassiri household, with father Jamshid Nassiri who is an East Bengal FC stalwart and son Kiyan Nassiri Giri who is one of the prominent prospects of the Mariners. Kiyan joined Mohun Bagan Super Giant as a youth star in 2019 and has steadily worked his way up to become an important member of the first team.
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Coming from footballing lineage, there is pressure on Kiyan’s shoulders to live up to the legacy of his father.
Jamshid was born in the Iranian city of Khorramshahr and he first forayed into Indian football by signing for East Bengal FC in 1980. He was heralded as one of the most expensive foreign recruits back then and he also turned up for another giant of Kolkata football – Mohammedan SC.
Jamshid developed a fondness for India and decided to stay back in the City of Joy after hanging his boots as a player. Despite such a profound footballing background, Kiyan says that the professional conversations between the two of them are limited to sharing the routine pleasantries.
“Football was always the path I wanted to choose and go by. My father and mother played a big role in it. They supported it. I was really happy about it, but again, conversations with my father are not really football based. It’s just small pointers here and there, but it’s not like how everyone would expect me to go home and him sitting me down to talk about the game,” he says.
Like most promising players, Kiyan hopes to make the most of the opportunity to turn up in the top-tier and thus subsequently get called up for the Blue Tigers. Kiyan speaks richly about the influence of foreign internationals and seasoned coaches that are a part of the competition, and he is constantly striving to become a regular starter for the Mariners and then realise his aspirations of playing international football.
“For me, ISL is actually the biggest league in India, and it’s very important because young boys want to play this league and you have to do really well in the ISL to get a spot in the national team. I am obviously one of them who wants to play in the national team. It’s a very big league with a lot of good teams, with teams coming in every year. It’s a big opportunity for players across India and I am very happy to be a part of the ISL,” Kiyan signs off.
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