Esala Masi
Esala Masi (born 9 March 1974) is a retired Fijian footballer, who played as a striker.
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Esala Masinisau | ||
Date of birth | 9 March 1974 | ||
Place of birth | Ba, Fiji | ||
Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
Position(s) | Midfielder / Striker | ||
Youth career | |||
Ba | |||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1996–1997 | Gippsland Falcons | 28 | (6) |
1997–2000 | Wollongong Wolves | 77 | (19) |
2000–2004 | Newcastle Jets | 96 | (18) |
2004 | South Cardiff Gunners | ||
2004–2005 | Sydney Olympic | ||
2005 | → Johor FC (loan) | ||
2005 | Ba | ||
2006 | Navua | ||
2006–2007 | Oakleigh Cannons | 53 | (27) |
2008 | Frankston Pines | 7 | (1) |
2008 | Altona Magic | 17 | (7) |
2009 | Pine Rivers United | ||
2010–2013 | Mitchelton FC | ||
National team | |||
1997–2005 | Fiji | 52 | (31) |
Teams managed | |||
2015– | Mitchelton FC (reserves) | ||
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only |
Club career
Masi began his football career at his hometown club Ba before he signed with National Soccer League (NSL) club Gippsland Falcons in January 1996.[1] The next year, Masi transferred to Wollongong Wolves and helped them win the 1999-2000 NSL title. He spent three seasons at Wollongong, gaining 77 appearances and 19 goals.[2]
After the NSL was disbanded in 2004, he played for several teams in Australia's state league and Malaysia.
In 2006, Masi joined National Premier Leagues Victoria side Oakleigh Cannons FC. In the 2007 season, he finished as the top scorer of the league, scoring 15 goals.[3]
In December 2008, Masi played against LA Galaxy in an exhibition match in New Zealand as part of an Oceania XI All-Star team.[4]
In December 2015, Masi was appointed the coach of Mitchelton FC reserve team.[5]
International career
Masi played international football for Fiji at Under-15, Under-20 and Under-23 levels. He made his full international debut on 7 June 1997 in a 1–0 loss against New Zealand in qualification for the 1998 FIFA World Cup.[6] However, his international career is not well documented. Therefore, his exact appearances and goals totals are unknown. According to an interview he gave to Queensland Soccer News, he appeared over 50 times for Fiji, and also won two Melanesia Cups.[7]
He was also captain for Fiji during the 2003 South Pacific Games. In the gold-medal match against New Caledonia, he scored Fiji's second goal from a 35-metre free-kick in a 2-0 victory.[8] Fiji won the gold medal with Masi finishing as the tournament's top scorer with eleven goals.
International goals
- Scores and results list Fiji's goal tally first.
# | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | 15 June 1997 | National Stadium, Suva, Fiji | Papua New Guinea | 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification | [9] | ||
2. | 25 September 1998 | Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, Australia | Australia | 1998 OFC Nations Cup | [10] | ||
3. | 4 October 1998 | Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, Australia | Tahiti | 1998 OFC Nations Cup | [11] | ||
4. | |||||||
5. | 8 April 2000 | National Stadium, Suva, Fiji | Papua New Guinea | 2000 Melanesia Cup | [12] | ||
6. | 11 April 2000 | National Stadium, Suva, Fiji | Vanuatu | 2000 Melanesia Cup | [13] | ||
7. | |||||||
8. | 9 February 2001 | Govind Park, Ba, Fiji | Malaysia | Friendly | [14] | ||
9. | 7 April 2001 | International Sports Stadium, Coffs Harbour, Australia | American Samoa | 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification | [15] | ||
10. | |||||||
11. | |||||||
12. | |||||||
13. | 16 April 2001 | International Sports Stadium, Coffs Harbour, Australia | Tonga | 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification | [16] | ||
14. | |||||||
15. | |||||||
16. | |||||||
17. | 1 July 2003 | National Stadium, Suva, Fiji | Tuvalu | 2003 South Pacific Games | [17] | ||
18. | |||||||
19. | 5 July 2003 | Ratu Cakobau Park, Nausori, Fiji | Kiribati | 2003 Pacific Games | [18] | ||
20. | |||||||
21. | |||||||
22. | |||||||
23. | |||||||
24. | |||||||
25. | |||||||
26. | 7 July 2003 | Churchill Park, Lautoka, Fiji | Solomon Islands | 2003 Pacific Games | [19] | ||
27. | 11 July 2003 | National Stadium, Suva, Fiji | New Caledonia | 2003 Pacific Games | [20] | ||
28. | 15 May 2004 | Toleafoa J.S. Blatter Complex, Apia, Samoa | American Samoa | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification | [21] | ||
29. | 17 May 2004 | Toleafoa J.S. Blatter Complex, Apia, Samoa | Samoa | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification | [22] | ||
30. | 12 August 2005 | Churchill Park, Lautoka, Fiji | India | Friendly | [23] | ||
31. | 14 August 2005 | National Stadium, Suva, Fiji | India | Friendly | [24] |
Personal life
His uncle, the late Esala Masi Sr. was also a Fiji international football player in the 1960s; he died in 2010.[25] His cousin, Manoa Masi has also played in Australia and the national team.
Honours
Club
- Wollongong Wolves
- Champions: 1999-2000
- Altona Magic
- Champions: 2008
- Mitchelton FC
- Champions: 2013
Individual
- Pacific Games Golden Boot: 2003
- National Premier Leagues Victoria Golden Boot: 2007
References
- "Did that REALLY happen in 1996?". ozfootball.net. Retrieved 14 September 2016.
- "Esala Masi". national-football-teams.com. Retrieved 14 September 2016.
- "National Premier Leagues Victoria Golden Boot". ozfootball.net. Retrieved 14 September 2016.
- "Galaxy Too Classy For OAS". FourFourTwo Australia. 6 December 2008. Retrieved 14 September 2016.
- "Brisbane Premier League (BPL) Coaching Announcement". Mitchelton FC Facebook. 1 December 2015. Retrieved 15 September 2016.
- "New Zealand International Matches - Details 1990-1999". RSSSF. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
- "Esala Masinisau". Queensland Soccer News. Archived from the original on 9 June 2016. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
- "Masi inspires Fijian victory". The World Game SBS. 16 November 2012. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
- "1998 FIFA World Cup France ™ - Matches - Fiji-Papua New Guinea". FIFA. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
- "Oceanian Nations Cup 1998". RSSSF. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
- "Oceanian Nations Cup 1998". RSSSF. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
- "Oceanian Nations Cup 2000". RSSSF. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
- "Oceanian Nations Cup 2000". RSSSF. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
- "International Matches 2001". RSSSF. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
- "World Cup 2002 Qualifying". RSSSF. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
- "2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan ™ - Matches - Tonga-Fiji". FIFA. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
- "South Pacific Games 2003 (Fiji) - Tournament Details". RSSSF. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
- "South Pacific Games 2003 (Fiji) - Tournament Details". FIFA. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
- "South Pacific Games 2003 (Fiji) - Tournament Details". FIFA. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
- "South Pacific Games 2003 (Fiji) - Tournament Details". FIFA. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
- "2006 FIFA World Cup Germany ™ - Matches - Fiji-American Samoa". FIFA. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
- "2006 FIFA World Cup Germany ™ - Matches - Samoa-Fiji". FIFA. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
- "India loses second match". indianfootball.de. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
- "Fiji vs India". indianfootball.de. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
- "Esala Masi laid to rest tomorrow". Fiji Sun. 29 July 2010. Retrieved 19 September 2016.