Super-sub Mohammad Yasir’s winning goal against Punjab FC sealed FC Goa’s spot in the Kalinga Super Cup 2025 semis, and the skilled winger thanked head coach Manolo Marquez for showing faith in his abilities, having battled injury.

Once chasing his dreams at Hyderabad FC and leading the charges with his creative flair at FC Goa, Yasir’s journey has been quite impressive, and Marquez arguably had a big role in it. The Gaurs’ head coach, who helped Yasir break the nut and bring out the best out of him, once said, “For me, he’s the best left-footer in the country.”

Yasir has always lived up to Marquez’s trust, and he again proved his mettle in the Kalinga Super Cup quarter-final, where his winning strike powered FC Goa to advance to the next round. The match was tied in a tense moment, where the Gaurs were trailing by a 0-1 scoreline. However, a quick turnaround within four minutes, thanks to Borja Herrera and Yasir’s goals, led FC Goa to script an epic comeback in Bhubaneswar.

It was none other than Yasir, whose left-footed, precise strike from a tight angle sealed the victory, made the difference, and turned the tide in the Gaurs’ favor. He expressed his gratitude to Marquez and the FC Goa staff, who trusted in his potential and brought him in in the second half, resulting in a match-winning goal against the Shers.

“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.

Yasir has now been a regular starter for the Gaurs and is one of the best creative midfielders in the country. However, things had been entirely different when the Manipur-born footballer joined FC Goa for the first time in 2017.

Yasir’s move to Hyderabad FC in 2019 proved to be a turning point in his career. A promising talent who was often seen struggling with game time got a well-deserved chance to showcase his potential. The dynamic midfielder experienced his breakthrough season under the guidance of Marquez, who not only brought Yasir into the limelight but also established the youngster as a designated left-footer.

Known for his creative playmaking and ability to score goals, Yasir’s versatility and play have been integral to Marquez’s style of play. His brilliant performances with the club also saw him make his national team debut.

Yasir was brought up in a family where he didn’t get full support from his parents in his early days. Having endured several adversities going into his professional football journey, his parents were convinced to revise their decision and stood by their son at different times.

Walking down the memory lane, Yasir recalled, “My mother would always ask me to focus on studies and get a good job, but I was adamant to play. So she eventually allowed me to go play local tournaments, as long as my father would not find out.”

Yasir’s parents were compelled to sell a part of their land in the process of letting their son go for a trial at the Tata Football Academy. Despite failing in trials, such a downfall instigated the never-say-die attitude in Yasir’s character and has driven him to chase down his dreams with the oath of repaying his parents’ struggles etched in his mind.

“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.