Ashley Nazira (born 11 November 1995) is a Mauritian professional footballer, who plays as a forward for the Mauritius national football team.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10] He played for San Diego Loyal SC, an American professional soccer team based in San Diego, California, during the 2020 USL Championship season. Since 2021, he now plays for Saint-Pauloise FC, a football club based in Saint-Paul, Réunion, France.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Steven Ashley Rex Nazira | ||
| Date of birth | 11 November 1995 | ||
| Place of birth | Pamplemousses District, Mauritius | ||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Saint-Pauloise FC | ||
| Number | 21 | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2014–2019 | Boulet Rouge | 86 | (53) |
| 2020 | San Diego Loyal | 2 | (0) |
| 2021– | Saint-Pauloise FC | 53 | (25) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2015– | Mauritius | 33 | (11) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 1 February 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 21 November 2023 | |||
Club career
editNazira began playing football at the age of six.[11] He played for Boulet Rouge, a Mauritian Premier League club, for his entire career up until the 2019–2020 season. During his spell within Mauritian football, Nazira was the league's top goalscorer for four times.[11]
Following his time spent in his homeland, Nazira then signed for San Diego Loyal SC, the new USL Championship expansion team, on a 12-month deal in January 2020. By doing so, he became the first ever Mauritian professional footballer to play in a top league in North America.[12][13]
He previously had a successful trial with Réunion Premier League club Saint-Pauloise FC in February 2019 after being top goal scorer in the Mauritian first division with twenty goals.[14] However the signing was put on hold by the club for financial reasons.[15]
Two and a half years after his failed attempt to join Saint-Pauloise FC, he finally signed for the Réunionese club in September 2021.
International career
editNazira made his senior international debut for Mauritius on 25 March 2015 in a 2–2 friendly draw with Burundi.[16] With three goals, he was the join top-scorer at the 2019 COSAFA Cup.[12][13]
International goals
editScore and result list Mauritius's goal tally first.[16]
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
21 March 2019 | Churchill Park, Lautoka, Fiji |  New Caledonia |
3–1 |
3–1 |
Friendly |
2 |
25 May 2019 | King Zwelithini Stadium, Umlazi, South Africa |  Eswatini |
1–0 |
2–2 |
2019 COSAFA Cup |
3 |
2–1
| |||||
4 |
29 May 2019 |  Comoros |
1–1 |
1–2
| ||
5 |
18 July 2019 | Stade George V, Curepipe, Mauritius |  Seychelles |
1–0 |
1–1 |
2019 Indian Ocean Island Games |
6 |
22 July 2019 |  Madagascar |
1–1 |
1–1
| ||
7 |
13 October 2019 | Estádio Nacional 12 de Julho, São Tomé, São Tomé and Príncipe |  São Tomé and Príncipe |
1–2 |
1–2 |
2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
8 |
27 March 2022 | Anjalay Stadium, Belle Vue Harel, Mauritius | São Tomé and Príncipe |
3–3 |
3–3 |
2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
9 |
11 June 2023 | Complexe Sportif de Côte d'Or, Saint Pierre, Mauritius |  Pakistan |
2–0 |
3–0 |
Friendly |
10 |
14 June 2023 | Anjalay Stadium, Belle Vue Harel, Mauritius |  Djibouti |
1–0 |
1–3 |
Friendly |
11 |
2 September 2023 | Elgeco Plus Stadium, Antananarivo, Madagascar | Comoros |
1–0 |
2–0 |
2023 Indian Ocean Island Games |
| Last updated 14 June 2023 | ||||||
International statistics
edit- As of match played 21 November 2023[16]
| Mauritius | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Apps | Goals |
| 2015 | 3 | 0 |
| 2018 | 1 | 0 |
| 2019 | 12 | 7 |
| 2022 | 5 | 1 |
| 2023 | 12 | 3 |
| Total | 33 | 11 |
References
edit- ^ "LE RÊVE AMÉRICAIN D'ASHLEY NAZIRA". 5plus.mu.
- ^ "ASHLEY NAZIRA APPELÉ À VOLER PLUS HAUT". 5plus.mu.
- ^ "Ashley Nazira : " J'ai plusieurs offres pour le prochain mercato "". lemauricien.com.
- ^ "Nazira, partir pour rester ?". lemauricien.com.
- ^ "Ashley Nazira, de Lallmatie à San Diego". lexpress.mu.
- ^ "Ashley Nazira ne cesse de scorer sous le maillot du Club M en 2019, ses statistiques à découvrir ici". defimedia.info.
- ^ "Ashley Nazira le messie". defimedia.info.
- ^ "Nazira : " Je suis impatient de jouer "". sport.info.
- ^ "Ashley Nazira : "Marquer le plus de buts possibles"". sport.info.
- ^ "Ashley Nazira: "Ça a toujours été mon rêve de réussir dans le football"". lexpress.mu.
- ^ a b Pledderer, Sarah. "San Diego's Never Been Closer to Having an MLS Team". San Diego Magazine. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
- ^ a b "Football : Ashley Nazira signe au San Diego Loyal" (in French). lemauricien.com. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
- ^ a b "COSAFA Cup unearths another gem as Mauritian star heads to USA". COSAFA. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
- ^ Gangaram, Loic. "Transfert : Ashley Nazira rejoindra la Saint-Pauloise FC en juin" (in French). Defi Media. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
- ^ Robinson, Anthony. "Saint-Pauloise FC - AS Jeanne d'Arc : Grondin, l'habile discret" (in French). clicanoo. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
- ^ a b c "NFT profile". National Football Teams. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
External links
edit- Ashley Nazira at National-Football-Teams.com
- Ashley Nazira at Soccerway
- Ashley Nazira at USL Championship