Ashley Nazira

Ashley Nazira (born 11 November 1995) is a Mauritian professional footballer.[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.

Ashley Nazira
Personal information
Full name Steven Ashley Rex Nazira
Date of birth (1995-11-11) 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 39 (22)
International career‡
2015– Mauritius 31 (11)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 2 October 2023
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 2 September 2023

Club career

Nazira 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

Nazira 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

Score and result list Mauritius's goal tally first.[16]

#DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1
21 March 2019Churchill Park, Lautoka, Fiji New Caledonia
3–1
3–1
Friendly
2
25 May 2019King 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 2019Stade 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 2019Estádio 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 2022Anjalay Stadium, Belle Vue Harel, Mauritius São Tomé and Príncipe
3–3
3–3
2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
9
11 June 2023Complexe Sportif de Côte d'Or, Saint Pierre, Mauritius Pakistan
2–0
3–0
Friendly
10
14 June 2023Anjalay Stadium, Belle Vue Harel, Mauritius Djibouti
1–0
1–3
Friendly
11
2 September 2023Elgeco Plus Stadium, Antananarivo, Madagascar Comoros
1–0
2–0
2023 Indian Ocean Island Games
Last updated 14 June 2023

International statistics
As of match played 2 September 2023[16]
Mauritius
YearAppsGoals
201530
201810
2019127
202251
2023103
Total3111

References
  1. "LE RÊVE AMÉRICAIN D'ASHLEY NAZIRA". 5plus.mu.
  2. "ASHLEY NAZIRA APPELÉ À VOLER PLUS HAUT". 5plus.mu.
  3. "Ashley Nazira : " J'ai plusieurs offres pour le prochain mercato "". lemauricien.com.
  4. "Nazira, partir pour rester ?". lemauricien.com.
  5. "Ashley Nazira, de Lallmatie à San Diego". lexpress.mu.
  6. "Ashley Nazira ne cesse de scorer sous le maillot du Club M en 2019, ses statistiques à découvrir ici". defimedia.info.
  7. "Ashley Nazira le messie". defimedia.info.
  8. "Nazira : " Je suis impatient de jouer "". sport.info.
  9. "Ashley Nazira : "Marquer le plus de buts possibles"". sport.info.
  10. "Ashley Nazira: "Ça a toujours été mon rêve de réussir dans le football"". lexpress.mu.
  11. Pledderer, Sarah. "San Diego's Never Been Closer to Having an MLS Team". San Diego Magazine. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
  12. "Football : Ashley Nazira signe au San Diego Loyal" (in French). lemauricien.com. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
  13. "COSAFA Cup unearths another gem as Mauritian star heads to USA". COSAFA. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
  14. Gangaram, Loic. "Transfert : Ashley Nazira rejoindra la Saint-Pauloise FC en juin" (in French). Defi Media. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
  15. Robinson, Anthony. "Saint-Pauloise FC - AS Jeanne d'Arc : Grondin, l'habile discret" (in French). clicanoo. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
  16. "NFT profile". National Football Teams. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
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