by Suman Gupta
Mumbai, July 2023: Mumbai City FC are delighted to confirm the arrival of Yoëll Van Nieff. The Dutch midfielder joins the Islanders on a two-year deal, until May 2025.
Born in the town of Groningen in the Netherlands, van Nieff began his career first with SC Cambuur before joining his hometown club FC Groningen. After rising through Groningen’s academy and youth sides, van Nieff graduated through to the First Team. The Dutch midfielder enjoyed a fruitful journey with FC Groningen, playing 83 games for their youth sides and making over 100 appearances for the First Team. Van Nieff was also a part of the FC Groningen squad that famously won the 2014-15 KNVB Cup – a feather in his cap from his time with his hometown club.
A short spell at Dutch club Heracles Almelo followed for van Nieff before he made his first move outside the Netherlands, joining Hungarian First Division club Puskás Akadémia FC ahead of the 2019-20 season. The 30-year-old went on to become an influential player for Puskás, helping them finish high up in the Hungarian league consistently in Van Nieff’s four years at the club.
Van Nieff has also been capped by the Netherlands at the youth level, making a total of 8 appearances for the Dutch under-17s and under-18s. With over 100 appearances both in the Dutch Eredivise and the Hungarian First Division and a knack of scoring goals from the midfield, van Nieff brings his talent and invaluable experience of having played at the highest levels in Europe to Mumbai City.
Yoëll van Nieff said:
“I’m excited to start a new chapter in my career today. The positive conversations with the management and head coach made it an easy decision for me choose to Mumbai City. We have a strong squad and the head coach’s vision for the club and the way he wants to play is aligned with how I view the game of football.
Besides that, Mumbai City is the biggest club in India and the fact that the club plays in the AFC Champions League excites me to compete on that platform to do well in Asia. That is the kind of mentality and environment I want to be surrounded in. I can’t wait to get to Mumbai and get started on this new journey.”
Des Buckingham, Head Coach, Mumbai City FC, said:
“The experience and the quality Yoëll brings to Mumbai City will be a great asset to us. We’ve watched him from his time in the Netherlands and more recently, in Hungary, and we believe that Yoëll will complement our squad and have a key role to play at this club. I welcome Yoëll to Mumbai City and I look forward to seeing him soon in our pre-season camp.”
About Mumbai City FC: Mumbai City FC is Mumbai’s club in the Hero Indian Super League. Mumbai City FC won the unique ‘double’ (Hero ISL League Winners and ISL title) in the 2020-21 season. The Islanders represented India on the Asian stage in the 2022 AFC Champions League, where they finished second in Group B and also became the first Indian club to register wins in Asia’s premier club competition.
The team’s logo is a reflection of a resilient fortress that stands proudly, surrounding the logo that signifies the unrelenting, determined spirit of the city. The seven stars symbolise the islands that form Mumbai, giving the club the apt nickname of The Islanders. Trains that are the very lifeline of the city ply millions of Mumbaikars across its vast expanse and connect these islands. Each passenger, each citizen of the city, is bound together by their love for the place they call home. 20 million citizens, 20 million hearts pulse to a single beat – the heartbeat of Mumbai.
