BY IKENWA ASHIBUOGWU NNABUOGOR
Never a long walk to take to find who’s the king of Indian football – foreign or local player, active or retired, there’s certainly no search at all as the undisputed crown goes to Lagos-born superstar and the best ever player to grace Indian domestic league football – Ranti Martins Soleye
His was potential and promise fully kept in the Bank of Goa and retrieved without hitches as Ranti ruled over the I-League, creating and smashing his own records and swelling his bank balances and crowning himself a king without being a prince.
What did Ranti not do in India? Absolutely nothing! Were India England, Italy, Spain and Germany, Ranti would proudly be competing with the Messis, the Ronaldos in terms of honours, popularity and of course, good money.
Ranti is synonymous to anything great in Indian football and the recognitions received, not only would receive presidential approval but perhaps, but should also receive United Nations Goodwill ambassadorial appointment. Yes, Ranti deserved it!
Sourced in Agege, Lagos, where his Principal Cup competition showing surprisingly did not convince local clubs to give this youngster a chance, instead, he headed to Ghana which indeed, opened his doors to his famous walk to international stardom.
Kumasi, in the Asante Region of Ghana became his “home” after signing up with the Asante Kotoko Academy before King Faisal Babes in the top flight offered him a professional career his roots denied him.
India? Was Ranti switching from football to cricket? What was he going there to do? National Football League side Dempo Sports, in the Portuguese-influenced town of Goa, in the Southwest Coast of India gambled on the fresh-faced 17 year-old starlet as seasons after seasons, Ranti put Goa in the soccer map of India, an unprecedented occurrence in the history of the club.
You will not take away Ranti’s brilliance on the ball; skilful, fast, possessed a very good head, complementing team player, Ranti was made of gold.
Having squared up against his contemporaries, notably former Super Eagles’ ruthless striker Obafemi Martins in the youth football competitions, Ranti was made of a sterner stuff and it wasn’t surprisingly he would go on to smash records in India.
Ranti arrived India when there was no professional football – now famous I-League, replacing semi-professional setup, the National Football League – and the superstar Nigerian began his sweet tales of record setting that has a place in the history of football in India.
He is the record goal scorer in National Football League and I-League history with 214 goals, and set the record for most goals scored in a single Indian top tier season by scoring 32 goals in the 2011–12 I-League season for Dempo.
He had earlier contended with compatriot, fiery Onitsha-born striker Onyeka “Odafa” Okolie who was also top scorer in the league as well as Dudu Omagbemi, who would later defect to Hungary for a bite of the European cherry.
In the continent, he was simply the Asian Ronaldo, scoring a total of 22 goals for Indian clubs at the continental tournament AFC Cup.
Was Ranti going to spend all his soccer life at Dempo? Top Indian Conglomerate Dempo Group, owners of Dempo Sports Club wouldn’t have none of letting their most prized jewel go for a prize and hung on to him for far too long.
But the lure to explore other top clubs and more cash would eventually convince Ranti to finally dump Dempo and headed to bigger spenders Prayag United and Ranti continued his brilliant scoring ways which included netting five times in the famous 10-1 annihilation of United Sikkim.
East Bengal, one of the foremost I-League’s clubs, were the last of the I-League side that enjoyed Ranti’s superlative goal run, scoring 29 goals in 36 appearances before he tasted the newly-introduced and lucrative Indian Super League football, when FC Goa drafted him one of the pioneer players of the high grossing league that has attracted an unprecedented number of foreign players and coaches into Indian football.
Life in the Super League wasn’t same as the I-League as Ranti struggled to replicate his smoking form in the money-spinning new league but he certainly didn’t struggle with his bank balances as guaranteed financial security was part of the perks of office for all Super League designated players.
After spending 12 years of glory-filled career in India, it was time for Ranti to move on, Malaysia welcomed the Indian king as he marched on to wind down on his career that has given him so much.
Done with Asia, Ranti’s ship berthed in the US to see off his remainder of his brilliant career to help develop young American talents in the developmental setup of American Soccer League. He had nothing to prove again.
National team call up was a wilderness cry for the supremely talented Agege-born star as national team selectors reckon Indian football remains an unthinkable consideration for national team selection. Though, reports suggested that Dempo didn’t inform him of two invites to the junior national team, preferring to hold on to their most prized jewel than having him leave to honour national team invite. That was largely the reason why Ranti wasn’t considered for a look in and denied an opportunity to prove football wasn’t entirely an European affair.
Offers from Europe were definitely not in short demands for the superstar striker but Ranti would always return to India largely because of money which was not better than what he earned in India.
Turned down offer to play for the Ghana’s Black Starlets, of which he holds a passport, in the 2005 African U-17 Championship, keeping his allegiance to Nigeria, a wish that never happened. Sad!
That was a promise kept, particularly in India and there was nothing more he could do again, he actually did what Napoleon Bonaparte could not do in India.
Ranti and yours’ truly crossed paths when this writer was curiously getting more involved with reporting of Asia-based Nigerian players and I reckoned he was a great newsmaker to be celebrated and together we struck a good relationship that has lasted till date.
There was no way Ranti and his India likes, especially Odafa and Dudu Oma Omagbemi would not be reported as the exploits till date in India are still celebrated.
Now retired into private business in the US, Ranti, a super family man, still finds time to spend on the pitch grooming kids and offering technical assistance to youth clubs.
Meanwhile, special appreciation goes to Ranti for his immense contribution to football.
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