Nirajan Rayamaji | Know All

Nirajan too started his football career like any other footballer of the world, from the scratch. He truly believes that whatever he has achieved until now is due to hard work, commitment and sincerity to the sport. And most of all, immense family support.

A local from Jorpati, Dakshin Dhoka, Ward no 5, Nirajan recollects the day his father, Mr. Ram Sunder Rayamajhi, introduced him to Rani Pokhari Corner Team (RCT). Since then there's been no looking back for Nirajan.

23-year-old Nirajan had a highly successful career from the very beginning. It was a positive start winning his debut match - Mahendra Gold Cup at Biratnagar, thrilling the audience with his solitary goal for RCT. He says, "I have this gift for scoring everytime I am out there in the field, I feel responsible, rather, compelled to score." He indeed is a goal machine.

Nirajan is the youngest in his family with two older siblings, Raju and Bimal. He recalls those moments (scratching his head), how he used to watch his brothers play football and childishly imagined himself, playing with them. If it weren't for his brothers, encouraging him to join them, he wonders what he would be doing now.

Nirajan, a star striker of our national football squad holds one too many national records. He's the only one to score a triple hat-trick in a single match. He poses a record of scoring three hat-tricks in consecutive matches in the domestic level. He has been graced with many Player Of the Tournament awards. But Nirajan remembers the day when he scored against Iraq, as his momost memorable feat. It was in their home ground, in front of 60,000 Iraqi supporters, and he recalls, "...the feeling was unbelievable, I can't even describe that in words. Adrenaline was pumping and I was literally shaking with exhilaration. Nevertheless a very satisfying result."

It would be incomplete without mentioning about the historic win over Macau, during the World Cup qualifying tour of Iraq. Nirajan eventually went on to score a hat-trick against Macau. He adds, "My level of confidence during that match was over the top. It really pushed me beyond my limit of performance."

Off the stadium, at his leisure hours, he likes watching other sporting activities on TV, hanging out with his best mates and is a big music enthusiast too. I also got to know that Nirajan is a strong believer of God and prefers good old dal bhat and tarkari wherever he might be.

If somebody offers him a wish of a lifetime, he would wish to meet Mark Viduka, ace striker of Leeds United. And we know where the meeting would take place, in the stadium attempting to score!