Willis Plaza

Willis Deon Plaza (born 3 August 1987), is a Trinidadian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Indian club Bhawanipore.

Willis Plaza
Personal information
Full name Willis Deon Plaza
Date of birth (1987-08-03) 3 August 1987
Place of birth Mount Hope, Trinidad and Tobago
Height 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Position(s) Forward
Team information
Current team
 Bhawanipore
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2010–2012 San Juan Jabloteh
2012 Navibank Sài Gòn 12 (5)
2012–2013 Sông Lam Nghệ An 18 (4)
2014 Central FC
2014–2015 Visé 6 (3)
2015–2016 Central FC
2016 Alianza 15[1] (3)
2016 San Juan Jabloteh
2017–2018 East Bengal 24 (11)
2018 Mohammedan
2018–2020 Churchill Brothers 35 (29)
2020 → Bashundhara Kings (loan)
2020–2021 Mohammedan
2021 Delhi
2021–2022 Aizawl 11 (2)
2022– Bhawanipore
International career
2012– Trinidad and Tobago[2] 23 (7)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 19:31, 1 May 2022 (UTC)

Club career

Early years

In his early career, Plaza played club football in Trinidad and Vietnam for San Juan Jabloteh, Navibank Sài Gòn and Sông Lam Nghệ An, Central FC.[3][4][5] In July 2014 he signed for Belgian club Visé.[6]

In December 2015, Plaza signed a deal to join Salvadoran Primera División side Alianza in January 2016.[7][8][9] In 2016, he returned to San Juan Jabloteh.[3]

East Bengal

In January 2017, Plaza signed for Indian I-League club East Bengal.[10] On 14 January, he scored his first goal for the club, scoring the winning goal in the 80th minute of a 2–1 victory against DSK Shivajians.[11]

On 4 July 2017, it was announced that the club had retained Plaza for the upcoming season.[12] In January 2018, he was released by the club.[13][14]

Mohammedan/Churchill Brothers

It was announced that Willis would sign for Mohammedan from 8 February 2018.[15][16] He then moved to Churchill Brothers in March 2018.[17] He won the golden boot of the 2018–19 I-League season, with 21 goals.[18][19][20]

He scored a brace for Churchill in their Indian Super Cup qualifier against Delhi Dynamos and helped his side to advance in to the final round of the tournament.[21] Later he was included in Churchill's squad for remaining matches of the Goa Professional League.[22]

He was retained by Churchill Brothers for the 2019 season.[23] In April 2019 he moved on loan to Bashundhara Kings.[24]

In July 2020, he returned to Mohammedan.[25]

Delhi FC

In August 2021, he signed with Minerva Delhi FC[26] and appeared in the 130th edition of Durand Cup.[27] Plaza later appeared in the 2021 I-League Qualifiers, in which they finished on third position.[28]

Aizawl

On 25 November 2021, Plaza moved to Aizawl FC, ahead of the 2021–22 I-League season.[29][30]

Bhawanipore

He signed for Bhawanipore in June 2022.[31] He helped his team winning Naihati Gold Cup with scoring a brace in their 4–0 win against United Sports.[32]

International career

He made his international debut for Trinidad and Tobago on 22 January 2012.[33][34]

Personal life

Plaza has said that his ancestors lived in the southern part of the Indian city of Kolkata.[35] During his school days, Plaza played cricket and was a friend of West Indian international Sunil Narine. In an interview, he said that Narine was his close friend and both of them idolised Brian Lara. He also said that he started playing football on the advice of his coach.[36]

Career statistics

International
Trinidad and Tobago national team
YearAppsGoals
201264
201331
201420
201570
201632
Total217

Statistics accurate as of match played 3 June 2016[34]

International goals
As of match played 3 June 2016. Trinidad & Tobago score listed first, score column indicates score after each Plaza goal.[3]
International goals by date, venue, cap, opponent, score, result and competition
No. Date Venue Cap Opponent Score Result Competition
1 29 February 2012Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua, Antigua and Barbuda2 Antigua and Barbuda4–04–0Friendly
2 10 October 2012Warner Park Sporting Complex, Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis3 French Guiana4–14–12012 Caribbean Cup
3 14 October 2012Warner Park Sporting Complex, Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis5 Anguilla8–010–02012 Caribbean Cup
4 9–0
5 5 September 2013King Fahd International Stadium, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia8 United Arab Emirates1–33–3Friendly
6 3 June 2016Qinhuangdao Olympic Sports Center Stadium, Qinhuangdao, China23 China1–32–4Friendly
7 2–3

Honours

Bhawanipore

Individual

References
  1. "Willis Plaza :: Willis Deon Plaza :: Churchill Brothers". www.ceroacero.es. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
  2. http://www.socawarriors.net/mens-senior-team/senior-team-news/player-pool.html?view=matchfixtures&pid=583&goals=1
  3. Willis Plaza at Soccerway. Retrieved 30 September 2016.
  4. "Plaza on target in Sai Gon". Soca Warriors. 23 May 2012. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 8 August 2012.
  5. Shaun Fuentes (6 July 2012). "Promising times for Plaza in Vietnam". Soca Warriors.
  6. "Deux internationaux signent au CS Visé". 23 July 2014. Archived from the original on 26 July 2014. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
  7. "Alianza contrató al trinitario Willis Plaza". elgrafico.com (in Spanish). el Grafico. 29 December 2015. Archived from the original on 23 April 2016. Retrieved 3 June 2016.
  8. "Willis Plaza, nuevo refuerzo albo". El Salvador FC. Archived from the original on 24 April 2016. Retrieved 4 May 2016.
  9. "Alianza desmiente racismo contra Willis Plaza - Goal.com". 6 May 2016. Archived from the original on 12 October 2016. Retrieved 9 May 2016.
  10. "'Foreign' boost for East Bengal ahead of I-League opener". Times of India. 5 January 2017. Archived from the original on 31 January 2018. Retrieved 31 October 2017.
  11. "East Bengal beat DSK Shivajians 2–1 in I-League". Times of India. 14 January 2017. Archived from the original on 5 September 2018. Retrieved 31 October 2017.
  12. "East Bengal reinforce strike force with Willis Plaza signing". Goal. 4 July 2017. Archived from the original on 15 December 2019. Retrieved 31 October 2017.
  13. "ইস্টবেঙ্গলে শেষ প্লাজার ইনিংস [Plaza's innings at East Bengal comes to an end]" (in Bengali). Anandabazar Patrika. 21 January 2018. Archived from the original on 24 January 2018. Retrieved 25 January 2018.
  14. Now, Khel (21 January 2018). "East Bengal release Willis Plaza after Kolkata Derby debacle". khelnow.com. Archived from the original on 16 April 2019. Retrieved 16 April 2019.
  15. "প্লাজা এবার মহামেডানে" (in Bengali). mohammedansportingindia.com. Archived from the original on 4 February 2018. Retrieved 3 February 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  16. "Bayi Kamo looking forward to playing with Willis Plaza at Mohammedan Sporting – Times of India". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 20 April 2021. Retrieved 16 April 2019.
  17. "I-League 2017–18: Former East Bengal striker Willis Plaza replaces Siyo at Churchill Brothers". goal.com. Archived from the original on 9 March 2018. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
  18. Dutta, Raja (29 March 2019). "The 2018/19 I-League End of Season Awards | Sportsbeatsindia". Archived from the original on 20 June 2020. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
  19. "The 2018/19 I-League End of Season Awards". The Away End. 13 March 2019. Archived from the original on 7 November 2020. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
  20. "Chennai City Crowned I-League 2018-19 Champions After Win Against Minerva Punjab". Press Trust of India (PTI). NDTV. 9 March 2019. Archived from the original on 27 June 2020. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
  21. "Super Cup 2018: Plaza brace fires Churchill past Delhi to qualify for pre-quarters". goal.com. Archived from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  22. "Churchill Brothers come from a goal down to beat Corps of Signals in GPL". khelnow.com. 24 March 2018. Archived from the original on 27 March 2018. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
  23. "I-League 2018–19: Willis Plaza reveals the reason for his sensational comeback". www.sportskeeda.com. 16 February 2019. Archived from the original on 16 April 2019. Retrieved 16 April 2019.
  24. "Indian Football Transfers: Willis Plaza moves to Bangladeshi side Bashundhara Kings on loan from Churchill Brothers". sportskeeda.com. Archived from the original on 4 May 2019. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
  25. Scroll Staff. "I-League second division club Mohammedan Sporting sign Willis Plaza from Churchill Brothers". Scroll.in.
  26. "Delhi FC on Instagram: "Reinforcements have arrived in Delhi with a familiar look"". Instagram. Archived from the original on 10 October 2022. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
  27. ANI (22 September 2021). "Durand Cup: Delhi FC beats Kerala Blasters 1-0, reaches quarterfinals". Sportstar. Archived from the original on 22 September 2021. Retrieved 24 September 2021.
  28. "I-League 2019-20: Aser Dipanda brace helps Punjab FC sink Gokulam Kerala". www.goal.com. 20 December 2019. Archived from the original on 3 November 2021. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
  29. Aizawl FC official Archived 26 November 2021 at the Wayback Machine Twitter.com. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
  30. "Primus, Plaza join India's Aizawl FC". trinidadexpress.com. Trinidad Express (Daily). 22 February 2022. Archived from the original on 23 February 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
  31. "খালিদ জামিলের ইস্টবেঙ্গলের সুপার স্ট্রাইকার! ঝড় তুলতে ফের আসছেন কলকাতায়". Archived from the original on 10 October 2022. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
  32. Singha, Sulaya (10 September 2022). "এক ম্যাচ বাকি থাকতেই গ্রুপ চ্যাম্পিয়ন হয়ে কলকাতা লিগের সুপার সিক্সে ভবানীপুর ক্লাব" [Bhawanipore Club became the group champion in Super Six of Calcutta League with one match left]. sangbadpratidin.in. Kolkata: Sangbad Pratidin Digital. Archived from the original on 19 October 2022. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
  33. "Profile". Soca Warriors.
  34. "Willis Plaza". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 3 June 2016.
  35. "East Bengal striker Willis Plaza reveals his ancestors used to live in Kolkata". My Khel. 3 August 2017. Retrieved 31 October 2017.
  36. "East Bengal striker Willis Plaza recalls his cricket days with Sunil Narine". My Khel. 3 August 2017. Retrieved 31 October 2017.
  37. Sports Desk, Kolkata 24x7 (14 August 2022). "নৈহাটী গোল্ড কাপ: প্লাজার জোড়া গোল, চ্যাম্পিয়ন জায়ান্ট কিলার ভবানীপুর" [Naihati Gold Cup: Plaza doubles, champions Giant Killer Bhawanipore]. kolkata24x7.in (in Bengali). Kolkata 24×7. Archived from the original on 16 August 2022. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
  38. "কলকাতা লিগ জয় মহামেডানের, টানা দু'বার খেতাব এল সাদা-কালো তাঁবুতে" [Mohammedan's Calcutta League win, the title came twice in a row in the black and white tent]. thewall.in. Kolkata: The Wall Bureau. 30 October 2022. Archived from the original on 31 October 2022. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
  39. "From the History Book". All India Football Federation. the-aiff.com. Archived from the original on 17 July 2014. Retrieved 19 October 2018.
  40. "Players–Goals". Soccerway. Archived from the original on 25 November 2018. Retrieved 24 November 2018.
  41. "Chennai City sweep I-League awards". theshillongtimes.com. The Shillong Times. 21 March 2019. Archived from the original on 21 March 2019. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
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