KATHMANDU, Nov 24: Nirajan Malla has two things in life that really matter to him – his family and football.
“I know nothing besides football,” says the 18-year-old striker of Under-19 national football team who was recently selected for the closed camp training session for the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Championship.
Presently, in a year of playing contract with Sankata Football Club of Kathmandu, Nirajan originally hails from Suda VDC of Mahendranagar. At the age of 12, All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) during its regional selection round in Kanchanpur district selected Nirajan for its camp. This is how he came to the capital. Since then there has been no looking back for this shy lad.
During his preteen days back in his hometown, this charismatic striker burnt his stamina in all sorts of games that his friends’ circle played. Then football was just a part of his life, not all of it. “We made teams and played different sorts of games. But I played cricket the most,” he recalls. He says his passion for football grew as he started playing and training himself under ANFA.
Best Forward and High Scorer during 2005 and 2006 for Junior-League organized by ANFA, Nirajan has played for almost all age-group football divisions of the country. “U-13, U-14, U-16, U-17 & U-19 are the age-group teams that I have played for,” he does his best at recalling.
And under his captainship, Nepal won The Junior Subrato Mukherjee Cup in 2006. Popular for his ability of scoring with both legs and dive heads, Nirajan had a goal in his account during the final match of Mukherjee Cup. And the score was a dive-head.
So far, for him his favorite goal is the one he scored against Kyrgyzstan in the AFC Under-19 Qualifiers, which took place this year in Nepal. “It was a score with the help of bicycle kick,” he explains. Unfortunately, Nepal could not qualify for the AFC Under-19. But Nirajan feels that, physically and mentally the playing method and strategy of Nepali players have improved.
If given an opportunity, this high school student opts to play for Barcelona Football Club alongside Lionel Andrés Messi. Messi’s speed and skill are what he likes the most. In national level, he admires Hari Khadka’s confidence with the ball. Not to forget is Spaniard striker Fernando Torres’s hairstyle. However, the current hairstyle Nirajan’s sporting isn’t t the copy of Toress’s. “My hair is naturally spiky.” He frequently hand-combs his jelled spikes.
Often spotted in his sports trousers and jacket Nirajan has fetish for shoes. Displaying his latest buy, which is a pair of white sneakers he says, “This pair was gifted to me by my elder sister Ranau.” But he says that he’s not much into clothes and prefers donning shorts most of the time.
And for him as a player there are lots of opportunities to explore and lots of responsibilities to handle. “We represent our country when we are playing abroad. So there’s a chance of visiting other countries but at the same time there’s a responsibility of playing well,” adds the player. But for him playing in the home ground is difficult, comparatively. “You are under the radar of the home audience. And their expectations are quite high.”
Former national captain and under-19 football coach Raju Shakya says of Nirajan, “Everyone plays football, but only a few are footballers.”
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Presently, in a year of playing contract with Sankata Football Club of Kathmandu, Nirajan originally hails from Suda VDC of Mahendranagar. At the age of 12, All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) during its regional selection round in Kanchanpur district selected Nirajan for its camp. This is how he came to the capital. Since then there has been no looking back for this shy lad. 
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