| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ranti Martins Soleye | ||
| Date of birth | (1986-09-05)5 September 1986 (age 39)[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Agege,Lagos, Nigeria | ||
| Height | 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Position | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Asante Kotoko | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2003-2004 | King Faisal Babes | 28 | (16) |
| 2004–2012 | Dempo | 245 | (165) |
| 2012–2014 | Prayag United | 40 | (32) |
| 2013 | →Rangdajied United (loan) | 17 | (8) |
| 2014–2016 | East Bengal FC | 36 | (20) |
| 2014 | →Goa (loan) | 16 | (8) |
| 2016 | Penang FA | 10 | (4) |
| Total | 448 | (345) | |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 13 June 2017 | |||
Ranti Martins Soleye (born 5 September 1986) is a Nigerian former professionalfootballer who played as astriker.[2][3][4] Martins regarded as one of the best foreign players to play in India. He is the record goal scorer in the history ofIndian top-flight football with 214 goals.,[5] and set the record for most goals scored in an Indian top tier season by scoring 32 goals in the2011–12 I-League season forDempo. He also finished as the first tier's top scorer in six seasons, more times than any other player.[6][7] He scored a total 22 goals for Indian clubs at the continental tournamentAFC Cup.[8]
Martins as a teenager went to Anwar-L-Islam College inAgege,Lagos where he played for the football club in the Principal Cup and the Shell Cup.[9] He then moved toGhana where he joinedAsante Kotoko Football Academy.[9] He stayed at the Academy till 2004 before moving toKing Faisal Babes in theGhana Premier League.[9]
In 2004 Martins signed forDempo S.C. of theNational Football League.[6] His first tournament was the 2004 Federation Cup which Dempo won.[10] After playing his first season with Dempo during the2004–05 Martins finished the season as the 2nd top scorer at 15 goals, behindDudu Omagbemi who had 21 goals.[11] He did however lead Dempo to the championship that very season as well.[11] Martins made his debut in the AFC Cup during the2005 version of the cup againstAl Ahed ofLebanon on 9 March 2005.[12] Dempo lost the match 0–1.[12]
The next season after the2005–06 season Dempo finished in 5th place but Martins himself finished as the league top scorer with 13 goals.[13] He also scored 2 goals during the2006 AFC Cup againstAl-Nasr fromOman andFC Merw ofTurkmenistan.[14] Both matches ended 1–3 and 2–2 respectively.[14] Thenext season Ranti Martins finished as joint top scorer withOdafe Onyeka Okolie with 16 goals.[15]
Martins then became one of the top scorers in the first season of the newly startedI-League in2007–08 when he scored 12 goals throughout the whole season, only ten goals behind the top scorer Odafe Onyeka Okolie, and tied with SomalianMboyo Iyomi.[16] However it was enough to help Dempo win the I-League that season. With the I-League victory Dempo once again played in theAFC Cup in2008 in which Martins ended up as the third top scorer of the tournament with eight goals as he helped Dempo reach the semi-finals where the club succumbed toAl-Safa ofLebanon by an aggregate score of 5–1.[17] Martins then however regressed during the next season of the I-League in the2008–09 in which Martins finished with only nine goals as Dempo went on finish fourth in the league that season.[18] He did though lead Dempo to their second I-League title in the very next season, with himself scoring 13 goals during the whole season.[19] Meanwhile, during that season Martins helped Dempo make it to the Round of 16 during the2009 AFC Cup in which he finished tied for eighth in scoring with five goals during the tournament.[20]
Martins then finally finished as the top scorer in the I-League after scoring 28 goals during the2010–11 season but he could not help Dempo win the title as Dempo finished in third place.[21] Martins then became the top scorer again in the I-League the next season, the2011–12 season, with 32 goals and he also helped Dempo win the I-League title.[22]
On 12 May 2012 it was officially confirmed that Martins had signed with big spenders,Prayag United, who also play in theI-League.[23] Martins made his official debut for Prayag United on 20 September 2012 againstSalgaocar in the first match of the2012 Indian Federation Cup in which Prayag United lost 1–0.[24] Martins then made his league debut for Prayag United on 7 October 2012 againstAir India in which he also scored a debut hat-trick for his club as Prayag United won the match 5–1.[25] Martins then scored again on 26 October 2012 againstONGC at theAmbedkar Stadium as Prayag United drew the match 1–1.[26]
Martins then scored a double for Prayag United againstShillong Lajong on 4 November 2012 in which Prayag United still lost by a score of 3–2.[27] However Martins helped Prayag United win their next match by a score of 10–1 against newly promotedUnited Sikkim in which Martins himself scored five goals.[28] He did not find the net again until 2 December 2012 in which he scored the opening goal againstMumbai at theSalt Lake Stadium, however that goal did not help Prayag United as they lost the match in the end by a score of 3–2.[29] Martins then scored in his next match against his former club,Dempo, on 8 December 2012 in which he scored the opening goal in the 21st minute and he did not celebrate the goal out of respect for Dempo. Dempo went on to defeat Prayag United 3–1.[30] Despite the loss though Martins helped Prayag United win their next match against the undefeatedEast Bengal on 16 December 2012 in which Martins scored the only goal of the game in the 75th minute for as the side went on to win 1–0.[31] Martins then finished off the year 2012 with yet another goal, this time againstSporting Clube de Goa, on 29 December 2012 but again it was in vain as Prayag United lost the match 3–1.[32]
Martins opened up his 2013 account on 9 January 2013 when he scored the second goal for Prayag United againstPune at the Salt Lake Stadium to give Prayag United a 2–0 victory.[33] Martins then scored again in the next match against Sporting Clube de Goa on 12 January 2013 but this time with a better result as Prayag United won the match 2–1.[34] He ended the month of January by scoring the equalising goal in a 1–1 affair withMohun Bagan on 27 January.[35]
Martins then went on the finish the season in emphatic form by scoring a goal in each of his last seven games of the season. The first goal came against Air India while the second came againstChurchill Brothers.[36][37] The third goal came against United Sikkim while the fourth against East Bengal.[38][39] His fifth goal on his streak came againstPailan Arrows with the next against Shillong Lajong.[40][41] Martin's final goal of the season, and seventh on his streak, came on 11 May 2013 against ONGC.[42]
After the season concluded Martins was awarded the "Best Player of the I-League" award by theAll India Football Federation as well as the "Best Forward" award.[43]
Following his impressive first season withUnited, Martins began the new campaign the same way he finished the old one, by scoring the first of two goals for United against newly promotedRangdajied United at theSalt Lake Stadium on 22 September 2013.[44] He then scored his second goal of the season in the very next match againstSporting Goa on 29 September as United won 3–1.[45]
Martins then went a month before scoring his next two goals, a brace, againstChurchill Brothers on 2 November as United won the match 3–2.[46]
On 14 February 2014 it was confirmed that Martins would sign on loan with fellowI-League sideRangdajied United for the rest of the season after United experienced some financial difficulties.[47] He made his debut for his new side on 1 March 2014 againstBengaluru FC in which he scored the winning goal for his new side as they ran out 3–2 winners against the eventual champions.[48] Martins then scored another goal in his second game for his new club, against his parent clubUnited, on 9 March. His goal allowed Rangdajied United to come out 4–0 winners.[49]
He scored his first brace for the club on 29 March againstSalgaocar as Rangdajied United ran out 2–1 winners.[50]
On 30 April 2014 it was announced that Martins had signed a two-year contract withI-League runners-upEast Bengal.[51] On joining the club, he commented "It's a privilege to join East Bengal. It will be something new for me but I don't see it as any pressure and instead look at it as a responsibility."[52]
On 18 January 2015, Martins scored his first goal for the club in his league debut againstSporting Clube de Goa.[53] On 1 March 2015 Martins historically scored all five goals in a 5–1 win over his former clubDempo.[54][55]
On 12 May 2016 it was announced that Martins was not in the plans of the returning East Bengal head coach,Trevor Morgan, and that he would be leaving the club.[56]
After playing for twelve years inIndia, Martins signed forPenang FA of theMalaysian Super League on 12 July 2016. He scored two goals in his debut match.[57]
On 2 January 2017 it was announced that Martins has successfully penned a deal with Maryland-based SGFC Eagles which features in the American Soccer League. American Soccer League (ASL) is a developmental league that provides American soccer players with professional playing opportunities as well as a direct pathway into the major soccer leagues around the world. The club is being run by soccer enthusiast Americans. The SGFC has won all the titles in the amateur league in the northeast of America before being drafted by the American Professional Soccer league.[58]
Martins, despite playing in the IndianI-League, believes that he has what it takes to play for his birth countryNigeria. According to Martins he had a chance to play for theNigerian U20s butAFC Cup commitments and the Dempo president failing to tell Martins on time stopped that from happening. Martins also said that at one point an official from theNigeria Football Federation arrived in India to watch him play a match and that he would be watching Martins.[6]
Martins also hit back at the question of how he would get a call-up if he was playing in the Indian league, a league considered lower standard for the Nigeria national team, by saying "I know that many people will begin to say that what is in India league, but I want to say here that the league in India is very strong. It is stronger than what we have in Nigeria because it is improving every season. More so, I want the handlers of the national team to look at the quality of the individuals and not where they play. I know my quality as a striker and I want the coaches, particularlyStephen Keshi to give an opportunity to prove myself. I won't disappoint him."[9]
In 2003, Martins was using a Ghanaian passport from which his agent gave him and at one point he was offered the chance to join theGhana U17s for the2005 African U-17 Championship qualifiers. However Martins rejected the offer due to his loyalty towards Nigeria. Otherwise he might have been a Ghanaian International footballer.[6]
| Club | Season | League | Federation Cup | Durand Cup andCFL | AFC | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Dempo[60] | 2004–05 | NFL | 49 | 15 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 4[a] | 2 | 66 | 22 |
| 2005–06 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 15 | ||||
| 2006–07 | 16 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 1 | — | — | 19 | ||||
| 2007–08 | I-League | 18 | 12 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 10[a] | 8 | 31 | 21 | |
| 2008–09 | 22 | 12 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7[a] | 5 | 33 | 20 | ||
| 2009–10 | 25 | 15 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 29 | 20 | ||
| 2010–11 | 25 | 30 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7[a] | 3 | 35 | 34 | ||
| 2011–12 | 25 | 32 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 25 | 32 | ||
| Total | 164 | 146 | 22 | 18 | 5 | 1 | 28 | 18 | 219 | 183 | ||
| Prayag United | 2012–13 | I-League | 25 | 27 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 27 | 26 |
| 2013–14 | 15 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 17 | 5 | ||
| Total | 40 | 31 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 44 | 32 | ||
| Rangdajied United (loan) | 2013–14 | I-League | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 8 | 8 |
| Goa (loan) | 2014 | Indian Super League | 7 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 7 | 0 |
| East Bengal | 2014–15 | I-League | 20 | 17 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 8 | 6[a] | 4 | 36 | 29 |
| 2015–16 | 16 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 14 | ||
| Total | 36 | 29 | 4 | 1 | 16 | 9 | 6 | 4 | 60 | 43 | ||
| Career total | 255 | 214 | 30 | 20 | 21 | 10 | 34 | 22 | 338 | 266 | ||
Dempo[61]
Prayag United
Individual
Records
