EXCLUSIVE: Chennaiyin FC forward Brison Fernandes opens up on goal vs Al-Nassr, Clifford Miranda & more

Brison Fernandes has 2 caps for the Indian senior team.

Not many players in Indian football can hold their heads high and say they have scored against a giant side featuring several European stars. But one man who can certainly say that is Brison Fernandes, who famously scored for FC Goa against Al-Nassr during the 2025-26 AFC Champions League Two campaign.

Brison, who started his career at FC Goa and progressed through the club’s various age categories and academies from his U-16 days, made a bold move away from home to join Chennaiyin FC ahead of the 2026-27 ISL season.

Chennaiyin FC were in dire need of an Indian goalscorer to step up after recording the second-worst attacking record in the 2025-26 season. The former FC Goa winger fit the bill, and head coach Clifford Miranda and the club acted quickly to secure his signature.

His move was surrounded by controversy, with FC Goa calling out his agency and the player later clarifying his love for the club.

However, the matter is now behind him, and his focus is on developing his career at Chennaiyin FC, both personally and at the club level.

With the 2026-27 ISL season already underway, Brison sat down for an exclusive interview with Khel Now to discuss his move, the team atmosphere, his ambitions for the season ahead and much more.

Brison on settling in Chennai and beaches

Having spent most of his life in Goa, adapting to Chennai might not seem too difficult, given that both cities are known for their beaches.

However, Brison revealed that he has never visited Chennai’s beaches and spoke about settling into his new city.

“The people at this club are very nice and they helped me very much settling well in the club. The management, the players, the colleagues which I have over here, they are all nice people. I have not been to the beaches till now. I am looking forward to go visit some beaches”, added Brison.

Brison on his decision to move to Chennaiyin FC

It was well known that several top ISL clubs were interested in signing Brison, while FC Goa had also tabled an offer to extend his contract.

However, the Indian winger chose to move to the southern giants, leaving FC Goa after 10 years and leaving Goa for the first time in his career.

Here’s what he had to say when asked about the reasons behind his decision.

“This is my first move outside Goa, and I wanted some challenge in my career. I wanted a new challenge and seemed like Chennai was a good option for me to take it forward. Because of coach Clifford only I chose Chennaiyin as an option. The coach helped me to grow in my development days in FC Goa, and I think he will also help me now to grow in Chennaiyin as well”, commented Brison.

Brison on working with Clifford Miranda

Throughout his senior career, Brison has worked with quality coaches such as Juan Ferrando, Carlos Pena, Manolo Marquez, Derrick Pereira and Khalid Jamil.

When asked what makes Clifford Miranda stand out from the others, Brison highlighted the aspect that sets him apart.

“I like the way he (Clifford Miranda) handles the players and everything which he does on the pitch and off the pitch. I like to admire him as a coach, and he is a great personality as well”, insisted Brison.

Brison on Manolo’s influence on his development

Of all the coaches Brison has worked with, Manolo Márquez is the one he has spent the most time with, with the duo working together at the club for three seasons.

Márquez has an impressive track record of developing Indian players, and Brison spoke about how the coach helped him grow as a player.

“Manolo and his team, helped me a lot in my development because not only me, but he also helps the other players to bring the best out of themselves in every situation. And that’s what I like about Manolo”, praised Brison.

Brison on taking responsibility for solving Chennaiyin FC’s lack of goals

Chennaiyin FC struggled to score last season, failing to score more than once in any game. Although the club have made several attacking reinforcements, the former FC Goa winger stands out as one of their most clinical and dangerous Indian options.

He spoke about how the team is working to address these shortcomings and how much he wants to contribute.

“I push myself every single day to reach the limit when I once set the limit. So, I want to keep going and I want to be consistent enough for every season, not only this season, for coming season as well. We are focusing on attack as well as defense as well. And I think so, the problem should be, sorted out regarding scoring goals this season”, assured Brison.

Brison on his goal against Al-Nassr

Not many Indian players can claim to have scored against an Al-Nassr side featuring several stars. For any Indian player, that would be one of the best moments of their career, and it was no different for Brison.

As a Cristiano Ronaldo fan, he spoke about the feeling of scoring the goal and his slight disappointment at not getting to share the pitch with the Portuguese star.

“When you play such teams with high level and when you score against such teams, it always feels great. I felt like it was a dream come true for me to score against such a big team. I wanted him (Cristiano) to be on the pitch because to share the pitch with this legend and, I don’t know, the feeling, it would be crazy”, expressed Brison.

Brison on his past memories of Chennaiyin FC

Having grown up in Goa, Brison would have witnessed several intense clashes between Chennaiyin FC and FC Goa in the ISL.

When asked about his first memories of the club, he recalled his heartbreaking experience of watching the 2015 ISL final.

“I was there on the stands watching Chennaiyin FC vs FC Goa in (ISL 2015) finals. And when Chennaiyin FC scored, I was not happy, pissed off. That’s the memory which I have of Chennaiyin FC”, said Brison.

Brison on the Southern Derby against Bengaluru FC

Chennaiyin FC’s next game is against Bengaluru FC in a Southern Derby that means a lot to the fans. The Marina Machans will also be looking to end their wait for a win at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium, having last won there in the 2017-18 ISL final.

When asked whether he understood the importance of the fixture to the fans, the Chennaiyin winger shared an interesting story.

“I met one fan of Chennaiyin and he was telling me, you have to win matches against Kerala and Bangalore. These two matches you have to win. So, I was laughing. I already spoke to the players about this thing. I heard many people saying they have huge emotion for these two matches. I will go 100% for these two matches and give Chennaiyin FC fans what they deserve”, remarked Brison.

Brison on personal and team’s targets for the season

Although Chennaiyin FC have won the ISL twice, their recent history suggests they have become a lower-mid-table side.

However, the club have made several signings in an attempt to turn things around this season. Brison believes the team should be competing for the top spots given the quality in the squad and insisted that a playoff finish is very much possible.

“I want to be consistent. I don’t want to be, like, one season up and the second season down. So, I want to be consistent and remain on the top. I just want to help the team in whatever way I can. Assist and goals as well. I want to go back to the national team, and I want to show that I deserve the call. And the only way I can do is, performing in every single match.”

“Regarding the team, with the players which we have, I think so we have to finish on the top group of the table. We can do this, we believe in ourselves and the coach as well. The dressing room is also, like, we can do this. With the team, the players which we have, the quality which we have, we deserve to be in the top six”, acknowledged Brison.

Brison’s message to the fans

“I just want to say that I want to give the fans what they deserve. A couple of years back, they have been champions twice. But I just want to give the third trophy to the fans”, said Brison.

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