Esala Masi

Esala Masi (born 9 March 1974) is a retired Fijian footballer, who played as a striker.

Club career Masi began his football career at his hometown club Ba before he signed with National Soccer League (NSL) club Gippsland Falcons in January 1996. The next year, Masi transferred to Wollongong Wolves and helped them win the 1999-2000 NSL title. He spent three seasons at Wollongong, gaining 77 appearances and 19 goals.

After the NSL was disbanded in 2004, he played for several teams in Australia's state league and Malaysia.

In 2006, Masi joined National Premier Leagues Victoria side Oakleigh Cannons FC. In the 2007 season, he finished as the top scorer of the league, scoring 15 goals.

In December 2008, Masi played against LA Galaxy in an exhibition match in New Zealand as part of an Oceania XI All-Star team.

In December 2015, Masi was appointed the coach of Mitchelton FC reserve team.

International career Masi played international football for Fiji at Under-15, Under-20 and Under-23 levels. He made his full international debut on 7 June 1997 in a 1–0 loss against New Zealand in qualification for the 1998 FIFA World Cup. However, his international career is not well documented. Therefore, his exact appearances and goals totals are unknown. According to an interview he gave to Queensland Soccer News, he appeared over 50 times for Fiji, and also won two Melanesia Cups.

He was also captain for Fiji during the 2003 South Pacific Games. In the gold-medal match against New Caledonia, he scored Fiji's second goal from a 35-metre free-kick in a 2–0 victory. Fiji won the gold medal with Masi finishing as the tournament's top scorer with eleven goals.

International goals Scores and results list Fiji's goal tally first. + List of international goals scored by Esala MasiNo.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition Ref 1. 15 June 1997 National Stadium, Suva, Fiji 2–0 3–1 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification 2. 25 September 1998 Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, Australia 1–3 1–3 1998 OFC Nations Cup 3. 4 October 1998 Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, Australia 1–0 4–2 1998 OFC Nations Cup 4. 3–0 5. 8 April 2000 National Stadium, Suva, Fiji 3–0 5–0 2000 Melanesia Cup 6. 11 April 2000 National Stadium, Suva, Fiji Unknown 4–1 2000 Melanesia Cup 7. Unknown 8. 9 February 2001 Govind Park, Ba, Fiji Unknown 1–2 Friendly 9. 7 April 2001 International Sports Stadium, Coffs Harbour, Australia 1–0 13–0 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification 10. 2–0 11. 9–0 12. 10–0 13. 16 April 2001 International Sports Stadium, Coffs Harbour, Australia 2–0 8–1 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification 14. 4–0 15. 5–0 16. 8–1 17. 1 July 2003 National Stadium, Suva, Fiji 1–0 4–0 2003 South Pacific Games 18. 2–0 19. 5 July 2003 Ratu Cakobau Park, Nausori, Fiji 2–0 12–0 2003 Pacific Games 20. 5–0 21. 6–0 22. 7–0 23. 8–0 24. 9–0 25. 10–0 26. 7 July 2003 Churchill Park, Lautoka, Fiji 2–0 2–1 2003 Pacific Games 27. 11 July 2003 National Stadium, Suva, Fiji 2–0 2–0 2003 Pacific Games 28. 15 May 2004 Toleafoa J.S. Blatter Complex, Apia, Samoa 8–0 11–0 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification 29. 17 May 2004 Toleafoa J.S. Blatter Complex, Apia, Samoa 3–0 4–0 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification 30. 12 August 2005 Churchill Park, Lautoka, Fiji 1–0 1–0 Friendly 31. 14 August 2005 National Stadium, Suva, Fiji 2–1 2–1 Friendly

Personal life His uncle, the late Esala Masi Sr. was also a Fiji international football player in the 1960s; he died in 2010. His cousin, Manoa Masi has also played in Australia and the national team.

Honours Wollongong Wolves National Soccer League: 1999–2000

Altona Magic National Premier Leagues Victoria: 2008

Mitchelton FC Capital League 1: 2013

Fiji OFC Nations Cup: 3rd place, 1998 Pacific Games: Gold Medalist, 2003

Individual Pacific Games Golden Boot: 2003 National Premier Leagues Victoria Golden Boot: 2007