The 23-year-old footballer is in stunning form having netted a hat-trick against Bashundhara Kings in a AFC Cup Group D fixture at Salt Lake Stadium on Saturday.
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Indian football has been searching for Sunil Chhetri’s successor for some time now and the search seems to be over. ATK Mohun Bagan striker Liston Colaco looks like the perfect man to take the baton from Chhetri. The 23-year-old footballer is in stunning form having netted a hat-trick against Bashundhara Kings in a AFC Cup Group D fixture at Salt Lake Stadium on Saturday. Liston has now scored four times in the competition so far, having netted a brilliant free-kick goal against Gokulam Kerala FC in the previous game. The Goan is having a very impressive campaign, finishing the 2021-22 Indian Super League (ISL) season as the top Indian goal-scorer with eight scalps to his name and taking that goal-scoring form to the continental stage.
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Liston was the standout performer for ATKMB in the last ISL season. He scored eight goals and registered four assists in 22 appearances for the Kolkata outfit. The Mariners signed the Goan footballer from Hyderabad FC for huge money last year. The youngster always had something in him. It seems that he is now starting to properly realize his potential. He played a key role in ATKMB’s impressive run to the ISL semi-finals. The 23-year-old started his professional career with Salgaocar’s U-18 team in the 2016-17 season and then joined FC Goa’s youth team in April 2017.
He was very impressive with his goal-scoring prowess in the U-18 I-League and quickly got promoted to the FC Goa’s senior squad. After spending three seasons with the Gaurs, Liston moved to Hyderabad FC for more game time. HFC head coach Manuel Marquez helped Liston to climb the ladder of Indian football. He finished the 2020-21 ISL season with two goals and three assists in 19 matches for the Nizams. His impressive performances earned him a national team debut in March 2021. The following season, Indian football giants came calling and signed the striker for a transfer fee of around Rupees 1crore.
Chhetri is not getting any younger at 37 and the legendary footballer didn’t have a great ISL season last term, scoring four goals in 20 appearances for Bengaluru FC. However, the veteran’s form for the Blue Tigers is still pretty good, scoring six goals in as many of his previous international games. Chhetri will surely need more support in terms of goal-scoring in the near future and it won’t be long before someone has to take the baton from him and Liston looks poised to do that. Though Liston is predominantly a winger he could be transformed into a centre-forward in the future. He has all the elements needed to be a successful striker. Not afraid to take on defenders, has got so many tricks in his bag and knows where the back of the net is.
Even though Liston is just 23, he has already played against formidable oppositions, both domestic and international. But he never looks intimidated by the prospect of playing against foreign defenders or more experienced players. Liston has tormented defenders all through the ISL season with his pace and brilliant dribbling abilities. He has the confidence to take on defenders which many Indian players don’t have. He mostly likes to play down the left wing. Predominantly he is a right-footed player, therefore he has a tendency to pick the ball in deep areas or wide in the wings, cut inside and try to curl the ball into the far corner. If Liston can further sharpen his skill-set he can become a more complete player and become a focal point of the Indian national team’s attack going forward.
