FC Goa winger Mohammed Yasir gave credit to head coach Manolo Marquez after a 2-1 win against Punjab FC in the quarterfinals of the Kalinga Super Cup at the Kalinga Stadium on Saturday.
Super-sub Yasir scored the match-winning goal for the Gaurs to help them qualify for the last four of the tournament. The 27-year-old from Imphal credited the Spaniard for backing after he recovered from an injury.
“Things were not looking good for us at that point, but the coach (Manolo Márquez) showed a lot of trust in all of us. He showed a lot of trust in me personally as well,” Yasir said toaiff.com.
“Over the course of this season, I’ve felt that bad luck has followed me, with injuries keeping me out. Even when I was called to the national camp last year (September 2024 FIFA International window), I sustained an injury and had to be replaced. But the support my teammates and coach showed me has been immense. They all trust me to do the job as an attacking midfielder, a position that is natural to me. When you come back from an injury, such confidence is necessary to get back to the same levels of performance,” Yasir continued.
Earlier, Marquez had showered praise on Yasir when he said, “For me, he’s the best left-footer in the country.”
Meanwhile, Yasir’s parents were forced to sell a part of their land in the process of letting their son go for a trial at the Tata Football Academy. After early struggles, the youngster started making a living out of football and bought back the same piece of land for his parents.
“After I started earning a decent living as a professional footballer, the first thing I did was to buy back those pieces of land for my parents,” Yasir remarked with pride.
“I may have been young back then, but the struggles that my parents have gone through for me are something that I shall ever be grateful for. It’s because of such tough times that I always remember to stay humble, keep working away towards winning more matches and trophies, and keep inspiring and helping youngsters,” he said.
FC Goa will face Mohun Bagan in the semifinal at the Kalinga Stadium on Wednesday.
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