He was Goa’s Boy Wonder in November 2014 and FC Goa’s ace midfielder. Meet Mandar Rao Dessai – whose exploits with the Zico-managed side earned him a great deal of praise from the Brazilian legend as well as his teammate Robert Pirès. “It is not easy to play on the flanks. I know, because I’ve played on the left for a very long time. With young Mandar, Goa and Dempo have a bright future,” was what the Arsenal Hall of Famer had to say about the Goan lad.

And with a shots-on-target percentage of 70.58%, this left winger was a nuisance for opponent defenders in the inaugural Hero Indian Super League (ISL).

Humble Beginnings

Born in Mapusa (Goa), Mandar his football career at Dempo’s youth academy and progressed to their senior side within a few years. He has represented India at the Under-23 level as well. While he led his Goa-India side to victory in the 2014 Lusofonia Games, a bigger reward was to come later – a chance to play for FC Goa in the Hero ISL alongside stalwarts like Pirès and André Santos, and a manager like Zico to train under. India’s then coach Wim Koevermans was also impressed with his debut, having scored a winner against Pakistan.

Mandar Rao Dessai: Season 2

11 games and 11 starts! The local lad left nobody unimpressed. His short, speedy bursts down the flanks, agility and quick reflexes made him a big hit. His 12 tackles and 35 crosses are a testament to the fact that he was instrumental in setting up many of the goals scored by Goan ISL club. It would take a calamity for fans to forget the Jewel Raja headed-goal that wouldn’t have been possible without Mandar’s timely assist.

This year, he would be working with the likes of Joaquim Abranches, Victorino Fernandes and Brazilian forward Victor Simões among others. Supporting him on the defence would be Grégory Arnolin and Narayan Das, his teammates from last season. A chemistry looks well in place and should be advantageous towards Mandar’s performance in the upcoming season. You have to watch out for this Indian hero, come October!

FC Goa kick off their Hero ISL 2015 campaign with three home games on the trot – the first one against Delhi Dynamos on October 4th.