The 26-year-old Midfielder Nikhil Mali has signed for FC Bengaluru United ahead of the I-League 2 campaign. The man from Pune also had offers from the I-League.
Nikhil Mali is a goal-scoring midfielder and can also equip himself as a winger who possesses the attribute of speed and shooting capacity. He was born in Nigeria to Indian parents and later joined the ranks of DSK-Liverpool Academy as one of their graduates. Meanwhile, he played for the Pune Super Division side Chetak FC. Later on, he attempted trials at Minerva Football Academy and signed for them.
While at Minerva, he played for Techtro Swades United and finished as runners-up for Himachal Football League 2020. Nikhil Mali then went on to play for Delhi FC and won Delhi Premier League twice with them. He has also made his debut in Durand Cup scoring against the likes of ISL side FC Goa.
Nikhil Mali has also booted for Delhi FC in their Hero I-league Qualifiers scoring 2 and assisting 3. But they failed to make their mark in Hero I-League eventually losing out in the final round. Nikhil Mali was awarded the Most Valuable Player of the Tournament Award in the first-ever Hero Futsal Championship 2021 where he scored a staggering 24 goals to his name and championship for his team. In the following season, he broke his own record by netting 25 goals and winning a second consecutive MVP award.
Nikhil Mali has joined Aizwal FC last season and played 15 games so far for them. Now, he is coming back to the third tier of Indian football with FC Bengaluru United hoping to revive his career with more playing time.
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