The most consistent and lethal striker in the I-League: An analysis

Ranti Martins

Since the I-league started in 2007-08, the battle for supremacy has not been just between the Goa and Kolkata clubs, but it’s been a titanic clash between two Nigerian strikers, Ranti Martins and Odafe Onyeka Okolie, to finish as top-scorer. This personal duel has almost been a sub-text in the I-League as to who is the most lethal and consistent scorer in the I-League. Goa clubs have won all the six editions of the I-League held so far, but in the top-scorers clash, honours are even.

When he was with Churchill Brothers, Odafe finished top scorer in the first three editions, with 22, 26 and 22 goals respectively. In the 4^th, 5^th and 6^th editions of the I-League, Ranti finished as top-scorer with 30, 32 and 25 goals respectively. Odafe helped Churchill Brothers win their first I-league title in 2008-09 when he was the top-scorer. Similarly, Ranti excelled with a record 32 goals when Dempo won the 5^th I-League. So honours are even between Ranti and Odafe in guiding their clubs to I-league success.

Overall, if we take into consideration the National Football League (NFL) also, both have finished top scorer four times each. Odafe was top scorer for four years in a row – 2006-07 till 2009-10. Ranti has also been the top-scorer on four occasions, first in 2005-06 with 14 goals, in 2010-11 with 30 goals, in 2011-12 with 32 goals and this season with 23 goals for Prayag United.

Both are equally effective but different in approach. Ranti is the silent assassin, a lurking menace who suddenly accelerates and scores with crisp knee height shots and placements. Odafe bulldozes past defenders to get into a scoring position. His shielding of the ball is exceptional and he can shoot powerfully with both feet. He also excels in free kicks.

However, where Ranti gains the edge is that he has helped Dempo win five titles, the 2004-05 and 2005-07 NFL crowns and three I-League titles in 2007-8, 2009-10 and 2011-12. He excelled in each of these five victories. In 2004-05, he scored 15 of the 28 goals scored by his club. Again, when his team won the 11^th NFL in 2006-07, he was top scorer for Dempo with 16 goals. Dempo won the inaugural I-League title on goal difference from Churchill Brothers and, as usual, Ranti scored the most goals, netting 12 out of a tally of 35. When Dempo emerged champions for the fifth time, Ranti was the league’s leading marksman with 32 goals. Overall, he has scored 169 goals in the NFL/I-League – the highest by any player.

Ace striker Ranty Martins has provided the best of times and worst of times for Churchill Brothers’ recent technical director, Subash Bhowmick. In the 9^th National football League (NFL) in 2005, it was Ranty Martins who thwarted East Bengal’s bid to become national league champions three years in a row. Bhowmick was then East Bengal’s coach. Undefeated East Bengal was on a roll, having won six matches in a row, and was topping the table with 21 points. Some of Dempo’s first eleven players missed this vital match due to injury, making East Bengal favourites to win. However, Ranti, with his first hat-trick on Indian soil, helped Dempo win 3-2.

This season, he was East Bengal’s nemesis again. In a vital round 22 match, East Bengal was leading rivals Prayag United 2-0, when Ranti set up the reducer for midfielder Carlos Hernandez and equalized himself in the 66^th minute. This was a setback for East Bengal’s title aspirations and was the turning point of the 6^th I-league, enabling Churchill Brothers to become champions. Again, in the 113^th IFA Shield final on March 20, it was Ranti Martins who scored the wining goal against East Bengal.

The crucial question is – will Ranti stay in India for the next season. His club Prayag United has been affected by the chit fund scam in Bengal and this is likely to reduce their budget for the next season. Ranti has said that if his salary is decreased, he is likely to go abroad. If the All India Football Federation (AIFF) allows clubs to sign five foreigners and play four, then both East Bengal and his former club Dempo will be keen to procure his services. His salary demands may also be met by one of the new franchises who could play in the 7^th I-League, like the Mumbai Tigers sponsored by the Dubai-based Dodsal group. The most consistent and lethal striker in Indian football for nearly a decade, Ranti has several options for the next season. It is to be seen where he goes.

For the last eight years, the top-scorer has been either Ranti or Odafe. The domination by Nigerian strikers started in 2004-05, when Dudu Omagbemi finished top-scorer in the 9^th NFL, scoring 21 goals for Sporting Clube de Goa. The last non-Nigerian to finish as top scorer in the national football league was the late Cristiano Junior of Brazil, who scored 15 goals in 22 matches when East Bengal won the 8^th NFL in 2003-04.

A perusal of top-scorers’ list in both the NFL and I-League reveals that only on five occasions has the overall top-scorer been a member of the title winning team also. In the first NFL, Baichung Bhutia guided JCT to victory by finishing as the leading marksman with 14 goals in 14 matches. Similarly, three years later in 2000, lethal Uzbekistan striker Igor Shvikrin, in his only season in Indian football, was top scorer with 11 goals in 22 matches and his team Mohun Bagan won the 4th NFL. In later years, Cristiano Junior (East Bengal—2004-05), Odafe (Churchill Brothers—2008-09) and Ranti (Dempo-2011-12) finished as the leading scorers and guided their team to the overall title.

Also, the maximum top-scorers are from Churchill Brothers – Philip Mensah with 11 goals in 1998-00, Yusif Yakubu, twice in a row in 2001-02 and 2002-03 with 18 and 21 goals and then Odafe’s four years-in-a-row feat.