Kevin Molino, Nikita Gosine named TTFA's 2025 top players

The TT Football Association (TTFA) honoured four of the nation’s standout footballers for their exceptional performances during the 2025 season, announcing Kevin Molino, Nikita Gosine, Derrel Garcia and Orielle Martin as its respective Players of the Year award recipients.

Molino, who announced his retirement from international football at the end of the nation’s unsuccessful World Cup qualifying campaign in November, was adjudged Male Senior Player of the Year after an influential year for both club and country.

As captain of the senior men’s national team, he produced decisive moments during Concacaf competition and World Cup qualifying, scoring a crucial goal in a 1-1 draw with Jamaica and providing an assist in another 1-1 stalemate away to Curaçao.

He also found the net at the Unity Cup in London, scoring the equaliser in a closely contested 3-2 loss to Jamaica. Across competitions, his influence brought added value to the national programme.

Returning to domestic football with Defence Force, Molino quickly re-established himself as a central figure in the team’s attacking play. His experience, vision and composure proved vital, as he contributed goals, assists and several match-defining performances while serving as a leader within the squad.

The Female Senior Player of the Year award went to a teenager, Pleasantville Secondary forward Nikita Gosine, whose rapid rise marked her as one of the country’s most exciting young prospects.

Gosine impressed at the school and youth levels, showcasing pace, confidence on the ball and a natural eye for goal. Those performances earned her opportunities with the senior women’s national team.

She capped her breakthrough season by scoring in a 4-1 defeat to Jamaica in a late-2025 friendly.

Former St Benedict’s College standout Derrell Garcia copped the TTFA’s Male Youth Player of the Year accolade. The association described Garcia’s 2025 campaign as “solid” as he continued his development within the TT Premier Football League (TTPFL) tier one for San Juan Jabloteh.

Garcia’s intelligent movement, work rate and a growing ability to influence matches did not go unnoticed.

He also earned call-ups to provisional senior men’s squads and made an appearance during an away friendly series against Jamaica early in the year.

Completing the list of awardees was Orielle Martin, Female Youth Player of the Year. Martin was recognised for her “strong body of work across the national youth women’s programmes” and was a regular feature in youth international fixtures and qualifying campaigns.

Martin impressed with her versatility, technical skill and tactical awareness, a TTFA statement said, and was described as “capable of impacting matches in multiple roles”, as she consistently rose to the demands of international competition.

The annual honours were determined by the respective national team head coaches in consultation with members of the technical staff. Selections were based on performance level, consistency and overall contribution throughout the year.

All four awardees were also among the nominees for the First Citizens Sports Awards on January 17, at the National Academy for the Performing Arts in Port of Spain.