Roy Krishna

Roy Krishna (born 1 april 1987) is a Fijian professional footballer who plays as a striker and captain for both ATK Mohun Bagan in the Indian Super League and the Fiji national team.

Roy Krishna
Krishna with Wellington Phoenix in 2015
Personal information
Full name Roy Krishna
Date of birth (1987-08-30) 30 August 1987[1]
Place of birth Labasa, Macuata, Fiji
Height 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)[2]
Position(s) Striker
Club information
Current team
 ATK Mohun Bagan
Number 21
Youth career
All Saints
2007 Labasa
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2008–2013 Waitakere United 75 (55)
2013 Auckland City 4 (1)
2014–2019 Wellington Phoenix 122 (51)
2019–2020 ATK 21 (15)
2020– ATK Mohun Bagan 14 (9)
National team‡
2007 Fiji U20 6 (1)
2008–2016 Fiji U23 8 (2)
2007– Fiji 40 (29)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 05:12, 8 December 2020 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 20 July 2019

Club career

Early career

Krishna joined the New Zealand Football Championship (NZFC) side Waitakere United from Fijian local outfit Labasa FC in January 2008.

In May 2008, he spent two weeks training with the Wellington Phoenix,[3] but was not offered a contract.

In March 2009, it was reported that PSV Eindhoven was interested in signing him.[4] However he said professional football in New Zealand with the Phoenix was his preferred option because he was not ready to move to Europe as he was still learning English and was not ready for another language.

In his 6 seasons with Waitakere United, Krishna managed 55 goals in 75 appearances and has won the NZFC Golden Boot in the 2012–13 season.[5]

Auckland City

In September 2013, it was announced that he had joined Waitakere's local rivals Auckland City FC for the upcoming ASB Premiership season.[6] On 12 December 2013, he scored Auckland City's goal in a 2–1 defeat to Raja Casablanca in the 2013 FIFA Club World Cup and also became the first Fijian player to score at the finals of a FIFA tournament.[7]

Wellington Phoenix

On 7 January 2014, Krishna signed with the A-League's Wellington Phoenix until the end of the 2013–14 season as an injury replacement for Paul Ifill,[8] scoring his debut goal on 16 March 2014 against the Melbourne Heart, beating Andrew Redmayne with a powerful drive into the bottom right corner. The match ended in a 2–2 draw.[9] His performance in the match earned him the A-League's player of the week honors.[10] Four days later, Krishna came to terms on a new 2-year contract with the Phoenix.[11]

On 29 February 2016, Krishna extended his contract with the club, agreeing to a 2-year deal that would keep him at Wellington until the end of the 2017–18 season.[12] He subsequently signed a 1-year extension on 15 February 2018.[13]

On 18 April 2018, Krishna was named Wellington Phoenix Player of the Year and his fourth-round goal against Brisbane Roar was deemed the team's Goal of the Year for the 2017–18 season.[14]

On 2 December 2018, Krishna became the outright leading goal scorer for the Wellington Phoenix, overtaking previous leader Paul Ifill's 33 goals for the club.[15] Krishna made A-League history on 19 January 2019, becoming the first player to score 3 consecutive braces.[16]

On 13 May 2019, Krishna was awarded the Johnny Warren Medal for his performances in the 2018–19 A-League season. On 27 May 2019, Krishna announced his departure from Wellington Phoenix after a long-term deal was not reached.[17]

2019–20 season: Top scorer and league champions

On 18 June 2019, Krishna announced he had signed a one-year deal with ATK, who play in the Indian Super League.[18] Krishna got off the mark with a goal against Hyderabad in what was only his second match for ATK, and thereafter, it became a familiar sight. Despite a minor injury problem, he finished with 15 goals, the highest in the league alongside Nerijus Valskis and Bartholomew Ogbeche, and six assists from 21 games. Krishna was influential in ATK reaching the final in his first season with the club, scoring a goal in the second leg of their semi-final victory against Bengaluru on 8 March 2020.[19] He also played a pivotal role in ATK winning their record-breaking third league title with an assist in their 3–1 win over Chennaiyin in the final.[20]

2020–21 season: Merger with Mohun Bagan

Following the 2019–20 season, ATK merged with Mohun Bagan of the competing I-League to form ATK Mohun Bagan. Krishna extended his contract with the club for a further season and was confirmed as the club's captain.[21] In ATK Mohun Bagan's first Indian Super League match on 20 November 2020, Krishna scored the club's first goal in the competition and was awarded the man of the match in their 1–0 victory over Kerala Blasters.[22] He scored in the club's next match on 27 November, the inaugural Indian Super League Kolkata Derby against East Bengal; ATK Mohun Bagan won the match 2–0.[23]

International career

Krishna made his debut for Fiji at the South Pacific Games 2007 and he has played for them in the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification tournament.[24]

In 2010, Krishna was also called up to the national futsal team for the 2010 OFC Futsal Championship.[25]

On 16 July 2016, Krishna was named as one of the three over-aged players of the Fiji under-23 team for the 2016 Summer Olympics, alongside Simione Tamanisau and Alvin Singh.[26] On 7 August 2016, he scored the team's only goal in the final tournament's campaign, against Mexico. Krishna's goal was Fiji's first ever goal in the Olympic Games.[27]

Personal life

Krishna is a New Zealand citizen, having gained his citizenship in December 2018 after ten years in the country and he is also an Indo-Fijian with Indian origin his ancestors are from Kolkata, India.[28]

In July 2018, Krishna married Indo-Fijian model and media business owner Naziah Ali.[29]

Career statistics

Club
As of 16 December 2020
Club Season League Cup Continental1 Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Waitakere United 2007–08 New Zealand Football Championship 40000040
2008–09 New Zealand Football Championship 141100431814
2009–10 New Zealand Football Championship 1680061229
2010–11 New Zealand Football Championship 1160042158
2011–12 New Zealand Football Championship 161100652216
2012–13 New Zealand Football Championship 141900862225
Total 755500281710372
Auckland City 2013–14 New Zealand Football Championship 41001152
Wellington Phoenix 2013–14 A-League 91000091
2014–15 A-League 2490000249
2015–16 A-League 1661100177
2016–17 A-League 251200002512
2017–18 A-League 2141000224
2018–19 A-League 271910002819
Total 12251310012552
ATK 2019–20 Indian Super League 211500002115
ATK Mohun Bagan 2020–21 Indian Super League 1490000149
Total 352400003524
Career total 228127312918260146

1 Includes OFC Champions League and FIFA Club World Cup matches.

International

As of 20 July 2019

National teamYearAppsGoals
Fiji
200771
200832
201175
201230
201511
201644
201751
201832
201955
Total3821
Scores and results list Fiji's goal tally first.[30][31][32]
#DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1.5 September 2007National Soccer Stadium, Apia, Samoa Vanuatu
3–0
3–0
2007 South Pacific Games
2.19 November 2008Churchill Park, Lautoka, Fiji New Zealand
1–0
2–0
2008 OFC Nations Cup
3.
2–0
4.17 August 2011Thomson Park, Tavua, Fiji Samoa
1–0
3–0
Friendly
5.18 August 2011National Stadium, Suva, Fiji
1–0
5–1
6.
2–0
7.
3–0
8.3 September 2011Stade Boewa, Boulari, New Caledonia Cook Islands
1–0
4–1
2011 Pacific Games
9.10 November 2015Port Vila Municipal Stadium, Port Vila, Vanuatu Vanuatu
1–2
1–2
Friendly
10.28 May 2016Sir John Guise Stadium, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea New Zealand
1–2
1–3
2016 OFC Nations Cup
11.31 May 2016 Solomon Islands
1–0
1–0
12.4 June 2016 Vanuatu
2–2
2–3
13.26 June 2016Prince Charles Park, Nadi, Fiji Malaysia
1–1
1–1
Friendly
14.7 June 2017Churchill Park, Lautoka, Fiji New Caledonia
2–2
2–2
2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
15.22 March 2018Rizal Memorial Stadium, Manila, Philippines Philippines
2–3
2–3
Friendly
16.5 September 2018National Stadium, Suva, Fiji Solomon Islands1–11–1
17.24 March 2019Churchill Park, Lautoka, Fiji Mauritius
1–0
1–0
18.8 July 2019National Soccer Stadium, Apia, Samoa Tahiti
2–0
2–1
2019 Pacific Games
19.18 July 2019 Solomon Islands
3–0
4–4
20.
4–2
21.20 July 2019 Papua New Guinea
1–1
1–1

Non-FIFA goals

Olympics
Scores and results list Fiji's goal tally first.

Honours

Club

Waitakere United

Auckland City

ATK

Individual

References
  1. Roy Krishna – FIFA competition record
  2. "Roy Krishna". Wellington Phoenix FC. Retrieved 20 February 2017.
  3. "Phoenix to take Krishna under wing". TVNZ. 30 April 2008. Retrieved 6 November 2011.
  4. Brown, Michael (29 March 2009). "Soccer: Krishna outgrows NZFC". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 6 November 2011.
  5. "The rise and rise of Roy Krishna at Wellington Phoenix". Stuff.co.nz. 5 December 2014. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
  6. Fiji's Roy Krishna joins Auckland City Oceania Football Confederation
  7. "Krishna savours historic strike". FIFA. 12 December 2013. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
  8. "Phoenix sign prolific Auckland City striker". TVNZ. 7 January 2014. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
  9. AAP (16 March 2014). "Melbourne Heart and Wellington Phoenix draw 2-2 in A-League encounter". Retrieved 20 January 2019.
  10. "Team of the Week Round 23". Football Federation Australia. 17 March 2014. Archived from the original on 27 March 2014. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
  11. "Flying Fijian inks new deal". Football Federation Australia. 20 March 2014. Archived from the original on 27 March 2014.
  12. "Roy Krishna extends contract with Wellington Phoenix". The New Zealand Herald. 29 February 2016.
  13. "Football: Roy Krishna signs one-year extension with Wellington Phoenix". NZ Herald. 15 February 2018. Retrieved 24 February 2018.
  14. "Roy Krishna wins Player of the Year award". FBC TV. 18 April 2018.
  15. Hyslop, Liam (2 December 2018). "Farcical VAR intervention ruins Roy Krishna's record-breaking night for the Wellington Phoenix". Stuff.co.nz.
  16. AAP (19 January 2019). "The Wellington Phoenix have made it nine unbeaten games in a row after a 3-3 thriller against Melbourne Victory in football's A-league". Retrieved 20 January 2019.
  17. "A-League: Roy Krishna reportedly departing Wellington Phoenix". Newshub. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
  18. Rollo, Phillip (18 June 2019). "Wellington Phoenix striker Roy Krishna joins Indian Super League club ATK". Stuff.co.nz.
  19. "ATK knock defending champions Bengaluru out, set up final vs Chennaiyin FC". India Today. 8 March 2020. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
  20. "ATK best Chennaiyin in Hero ISL 2019-20 final to clinch record third title". Indian Super League. 14 March 2020. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
  21. "Fijian striker Roy Krishna signs contract extension with ATK-Mohun Bagan till 2021". First Post. 26 June 2020. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
  22. "Roy Krishna's solitary goal fires Mohun Bagan to victory over Kerala Blasters on ISL debut". India TV News. 20 November 2020.
  23. "East Bengal 0-2 ATK Mohun Bagan Highlights: Clinical Mariners Win First-ever Kolkata Derby In ISL". Outlook. 27 November 2020. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
  24. Krishna sharpens soccer skills – FIji Times
  25. "Krishna joins futsal squad". Oceania Football Confederation. 14 July 2010. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  26. "U23 squad in Suva for team naming". Fiji Times. 16 July 2016. Retrieved 16 July 2016.
  27. Bellemore, Damien. "Phoenix striker: 'How I made Fijian Olympic history'". A-League. Football Federation Australia. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
  28. Rollo, Phillip (6 December 2018). "Wellington Phoenix striker Roy Krishna granted New Zealand citizenship". Stuff. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
  29. Kumar, Arvind (17 July 2018). "Roy Krishna, Naziah Ali tie the knot in four-day ceremony in Fiji". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 2 December 2018.
  30. https://www.fifa.com/fifa-tournaments/players-coaches/people=278780/index.html
  31. https://us.soccerway.com/players/roy-krishna/60280/
  32. "Roy Krishna". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmerman. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  33. "On-Field Performers Honours". The Ultimate New Zealand Soccer Website. Retrieved 28 September 2010.
  34. Fiji Under 20 to clinch First Playoff win – Fijilive
  35. Oceanian Player of the Year 2008 The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation
  36. "Waitakere prevail as familiar foes dominate". FIFA. 18 March 2013. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
  37. "Krishna's big night at Phoenix awards". A-League. 18 April 2018.
  38. "Fiji's Krishna named A-League player of the month". RNZ. 19 February 2019. Retrieved 5 April 2019.
  39. "Wellington Phoenix's Roy Krishna adds Johnny Warren Medal to A-League Golden Boot". Stuff.co.nz. 13 May 2019.
  40. "Roy Krishna awarded ISL hero of the month".
  41. "Players stat: Top scorers". Indian Super League. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
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