Shassiri Nahimana

Shassiri Nahimana is a Burundian professional footballer, who plays as a midfielder for the Burundi national football team.[2]

Shassiri Nahimana
Personal information
Full name Shassiri Nahimana
Date of birth (1993-08-05) 5 August 1993
Place of birth Bujumbura, Burundi
Height 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Youth career
2005 Rafina FC
2009–2010 Havana FC[1]
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2012–2014 Inter Star
2014–2016 Vital'O
2016–2018 Rayon Sports
2018–2019 Nizwa
2019 Al-Mujazzal
2019–2020 Al-Entesar
National team‡
2013– Burundi 30 (2)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 19:00, 22 June 2019 (UTC)

Early life

Shassiri Nahimana was born in Buyenzi, Bujumbura. Nahimana is the third born among his siblings and grew up playing football. Supported by his parents, in 2005, at the age of 12 he joined Rafina FC. Few years later in 2009–2010 he joined Havana FC, where he participated in a local competition and was soon scouted by Inter Star to attend a trial at the club. Though initially scared, he eventually attended the trials and got signed up by the club.[1]

Club career

After first joining Inter Star in 2012, he went to Vital'O in 2014, where he won two consecutive Burundi Premier League in the 2014–15 and 2015–16 season. At the end of the 2015–16 season, Nahimana was named the Best Player of the Season, winning the award over teammates Arakaza MacArthur and Hussein Shabani.[3] He also played a pivotal role in his teams 2016 Burundian Cup run, where Vital'O lost 4–3 on penalties to Le Messager Ngozi in the final.[4]

After a successful career at Vital'O, he joined Rwandan club Rayon Sports in 2016.[4] On 24 December 2016, he scored his first hat-trick for Rayon Sports, thrashing Musanze 4–1.[5] On 17 May 2019, he won the 2016–17 Rwanda Premier League with the club, after Rayon won 2–1 against Mukura Victory Sports and took an unassailable 13 point lead over rivals and former champions APR FC, with four matches to spare.[6]

At the end of the 2017–18 season, Nahimana joined Omani club Nizwa, and in January 2019 moved to Saudi club Al-Mujazzal on a 1-year deal.[7]

International career

Nahimana was invited by Lofty Naseem, the national team coach, to represent Burundi in the 2014 African Nations Championship held in South Africa.[8]

On 21 June 2015, he scored his first ever international goal in a 2–1 win against Djibouti in the 2016 African Nations Championship qualification. Burundi progressed to the next round by winning 4–1 on aggregate, but failed to qualify for the finals after losing 3–2 on aggregate to Ethiopia in the next round.[9]

On 11 June 2019, Nahimana was named in Burundi's 23-man squad for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.[10]

Stats
As of 23 June 2019
National teamYearAppsGoals
Burundi 201310
201420
2015121
201640
201761
201840
201910
Total302

International goals
Scores and results list Uganda's goal tally first.[2]
No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1.21 June 2015Stade du Ville, Djibouti Djibouti
2–1
2–1
2016 CHAN qualification
2.7 December 2017Bukhungu Stadium, Kakamega, Kenya Ethiopia
4–1
4–1
2017 CECAFA Cup

Honours

Club
Vital'O
Rayon Sports

Individual
  • Amstel Ligue Best Player of the Season: 2015–16[3]

References
  1. "Menya Nahimana Shasir umukinnyi w'Ukwezi muri Shamiyona y'u Rwanda" (in Kinyarwanda). Umusuke. 24 November 2016. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
  2. "Shassiri Nahimana". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmerman. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
  3. "NAHIMANA Shasiri, best player of the Primus league 2015-2016". Burundi AgNews. 26 June 2016. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
  4. Osano, Bonface. "Burundi's most valuable player joins Rayon Sports". Soka25east. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
  5. Asiimwe, Geoffrey (26 December 2016). "Rayon coach lauds hat trick hero Nahimana". The New Times. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
  6. Asiimwe, Geoffrey (18 May 2017). "Rayon Sports seal 2016/17 league title". The New Times. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
  7. Selemani, Nizeyimana (29 January 2019). "Nahimana Shassir yageze mu cyiciro cya kabiri muri Arabiya Sawudite" (in Kinyarwanda). The Kigali Post. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
  8. "Burundi named 23-man squad for the tournament". yeswefoot.com. Retrieved 7 February 2014.
  9. "Mixed fortunes for holders and former winners". CAF. 22 June 2015. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
  10. Odiko, Godwin (11 June 2019). "Burundi coach Olivier Niyungeko names final squad". Goal. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
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