Lalrindika Ralte (born 7 September 1992), popularly known as Dika, is a former Indian professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who last played as an

attacking midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...

for Real Kashmir in the

I-League The I-League is the men's second professional football division of the Indian football league system behind the Indian Super League. Administered by the All India Football Federation, it is currently contested by 13 clubs. It operates as a s ...

. Born in a small town in

Mizoram Mizoram is a states and union territories of India, state in northeastern India, with Aizawl as its Capital city, capital and largest city. It shares 722-kilometres (449 miles) of international borders with Bangladesh to the west, and Myanmar t ...

he started playing football at a very young age. During his playing career he has been regarded as one of the most talented footballers of the county in recent times with a brilliant left-foot and also a specialist in set pieces. Often a fan favourite among the Red and Golds for his genius understanding of the game and spectacular goals.

Club career

Churchill Brothers and Pailan Arrows

Ralte started his career at

Churchill Brothers Churchill Brothers Futebol Clube de Goa (simply known as Churchill Brothers) is an Indian professional football club based in Margao, Goa, that competes in the Indian Super League, alongside the Goa Professional League (reserves). Founded in 1 ...

in 2009 and scored his first professional goal for the club on 1 April 2010 against JCT in the

in a 6–0 win. Ralte signed for

Pailan Arrows Indian Arrows (formerly known as Pailan Arrows) is an Indian developmental football team that competes in the Indian national football tiers. They competed in the I-League. The club was formed by the All India Football Federation in 2010, wi ...

on a season-long loan for the 2010–11 season. He scored his first goal for the Arrows on 3 December 2010 against Prayag United in Arrows' first ever professional match in the I-League. Ralte then scored a brace for the Arrows on 7 May 2011 against

Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...

to help Arrows win 2–1. Ralte moved back to Churchill for the 2011-12 I-League after his year-long loan and on 1 November 2011, scored his first goal since his return against Prayag United at the

Fatorda Stadium Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium (also known as Fatorda Stadium) is a multi-purpose stadium in Margao, Goa, India. The venue has been used to host both football and cricket matches. It is Goa's only international stadium and has a seating capac ...

to help Churchill draw the match 1–1 in the I-League. He then scored again on 17 December 2011 against

Shillong Lajong Shillong Lajong Football Club (founded as Lajong SC) is an Indian professional football club based in Shillong, Meghalaya. The club is currently competing in the I-League, the second tier of the Indian football league system, following promotio ...

in the I-League to help Churchill to a 6–0 win. He would then score on 15 January 2012 against

Mohun Bagan Mohun Bagan Super Giant, commonly referred to as Mohun Bagan, is an Indian professional football club based in Kolkata, West Bengal. Founded in 1889, it is one of the oldest football clubs in Asia. The club competes in the Indian Super League, ...

in the I-League in a 2–3 loss. while he continued to play regular football and impressed, he did not score again until 1 April 2012, when he scored against Prayag United at the Fatorda Stadium again in a 5–2 victory. He scored his 5th goal of the season 15 days later on 15 April 2012 against

Pune Pune ( ; , ISO 15919, ISO: ), previously spelled in English as Poona (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1978), is a city in the state of Maharashtra in the Deccan Plateau, Deccan plateau in Western ...

in a 2–0 away victory. He then scored his last goal of the season on 6 May 2012 against his former club, Pailan Arrows, in the 50th minute in a match that ended 3–2 in favor of his team.

East Bengal

Dika's signed for

East Bengal East Bengal (; ''Purbô Bangla/Purbôbongo'') was the eastern province of the Dominion of Pakistan, which covered the territory of modern-day Bangladesh. It consisted of the eastern portion of the Bengal region, and existed from 1947 until 195 ...

in May 2012 and made his debut for the club on 21 September 2012 against Sporting Goa in the first match of the 2012 Federation Cup, coming on as a 70th-minute substitute for

Ishfaq Ahmed Ishfaq Ahmed (born 17 March 1983) is an Indian football coach and former footballer. He is currently serving as the head coach of the I-League club Real Kashmir and the India national under-17 football team. He is also a member of the AIFF t ...

. It did not take him long to make a huge contribution to the team as he scored the solitary goal in the semi-final of the Federation Cup on 27 September 2012 against his former team, Churchill Brothers, in the 111th minute of extra-time to send them into the final, which East Bengal would eventually go onto win 3–2 over

Dempo Dempo Mining Corporation Limited is a prominent mining company from the western Indian state of Goa. The mineral business was founded by Vasantrao S. Dempo in 1941, along with his younger brother Vaikuntrao Dempo. Vasantrao was the founding c ...

Siliguri Siliguri (, ; ), also known as Shiliguri, is a major Tier ii cities in india, tier-II city in West Bengal. It forms the twin cities, Twin Cities with the neighbouring city of Jalpaiguri. The city spans areas of the Darjeeling district, Darjeel ...

. He then scored his first I-League goal for East Bengal in the second match of the

season A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's axial tilt, tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperat ...

on 11 October 2012 against

United Sikkim United Sikkim Football Club is an Indian professional Association football, football club based in Gangtok, Sikkim. Incorporated in 2011, the club usually competed in the Sikkim Premier Division League. United Sikkim is the only club from Sikki ...

at the

Paljor Stadium Paljor Stadium (also spelled Palzor Stadium) is a association football, football stadium located in Gangtok, Sikkim, India. It can host 30,000 spectators. Besides earlier hosting the I-League and the I-League 2, the stadium also hosts matches ...

Gangtok Gangtok (, ) is the capital and the most populous city of the Indian state of Sikkim. The seat of East Sikkim district, eponymous district, Gangtok is in the eastern Himalayas, Himalayan range, at an elevation of . The city's population of 100 ...

from an 82nd-minute free kick in a 1–0 win. He scored his second goal for the club on 24 November 2012 against

ONGC The Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC) is an Indian central public sector undertaking which is the largest government-owned oil and gas explorer and producer in the country. It accounts for around 70 percent of India's domestic pro ...

at the

Salt Lake Stadium The Salt Lake Stadium, officially known as Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan (VYBK), is a multi-purpose stadium, used mostly for football matches, located in Salt Lake City, Greater Kolkata, with a capacity of 68,000 spectators. Named after S ...

in a convincing 5–0 win. On 27 February 2013, he scored his first goal in continental competitions in the

2013 AFC Cup The 2013 AFC Cup was the tenth edition of the AFC Cup, a football competition organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) for clubs from "developing countries" in Asia. In an all-Kuwait final, defending champions Al-Kuwait defeated Al- ...

against

Selangor FA Selangor Football Club ( Malay: ''Kelab Bola Sepak Selangor'') is a professional football club based in the city of Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia. The club currently competes in the Malaysia Super League, the top tier of Malaysian football. ...

in a 1–0 home win for East Bengal; a left footed striker from outside the box, beating the Malaysian goalkeeper Norazlan Razali on the 43rd minute. On 9 April 2013, he scored a 25-yard long curling left-footer on the 86th minute to secure a 2–1 home win over

Tampines Rovers FC Tampines Rovers Football Club (currently known as BG Tampines Rovers due to sponsorship reasons) is a professional association football, football club based in Tampines, Singapore, that competes in the Singapore Premier League, the top tier of t ...

in the AFC Cup group stage. Ralte then would score his fourth goal of the AFC Cup against

Kuwait SC Kuwait Sports Club () is a Kuwaiti professional football club based in Kuwait City. Their football team has won Kuwait Premier League 19 times and has won over 50 trophies overall. The club plays in the Al Kuwait Sports Club Stadium located i ...

on 1 October 2013 in the away leg of the

semi-final match with a right-footed shot from the left of the box. With the goal against Kuwait SC, he became the joint highest Indian scorer of the tournament with

Bhaichung Bhutia Bhaichung Bhutia (born 15 December 1976), also spelled as Baichung Bhutia, is an Indian former professional footballer who played as a striker. Bhutia is considered as the torchbearer of Indian football in the international arena. He is often ...

Mumbai City(loan)

Ralte was picked up by Mumbai City on loan for the

2014 Indian Super League The 2014 Hero Indian Super League was the first season of the Indian Super League, the top flight football league of India. The season featured eight teams, each playing 14 matches during the regular season. The regular season started on 12 Oc ...

as one of the most expensive signings. He started in Mumbai City FC's first ever game against

Atletico de Kolkata ATK Football Club (also known as Atlético de Kolkata in association with Atlético Madrid) was an Indian professional football club based in Kolkata, West Bengal. The club competed in the ISL, the top flight of Indian football. They were ...

. He assisted teammate Andre Moritz twice in a 5–0 win over derby rivals

FC Pune City Football Club Pune City was an Indian professional Association football, football club based in Pune, Maharashtra, which last participated in the Indian Super League, the top flight of Indian football league system, under licence from All Ind ...

. Dika scored his first goal for Mumbai City on 7 December 2014 against Atletico de Kolkata in a 2–1 win.

Return to East Bengal

In 2018 July, East Bengal announced the return of Didika before the

Calcutta Football League The Calcutta Football League (CFL) is a ladder-based football competition in the Indian state of West Bengal, organised by the Indian Football Association (WB) as part of the state leagues. It is the oldest football league in Asia. The CFL ...

. He came on as a substitute in the

Kolkata Derby The Kolkata Derby (locally known as "Boro Match") is the association football, football match in Kolkata, between Mohun Bagan Super Giant, Mohun Bagan and East Bengal FC, East Bengal. The rivalry between these two teams is over 100 years old, ...

when East Bengal was trailing by 2 goals against

and changed the whole equation also providing the assist for the equaliser where the game ended 2-2. He was appointed as the

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

. He led his team to the runners-up spot missing the

championship just by a point to

Chennai City Chennai, also known as Madras ( its official name until 1996), is the capital and largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost state of India. It is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. According to the 2011 Indian censu ...

in the 2018-19 season which was decided on the final day.
He joined Real Kashmir in 2021 January for a one year long deal.

Retirement

On 21 February 2022, Ralte announced a shocking retirement at the age of 29 through a social media post owing to personal and family reasons.

International career

Ralte has played for India at the under-16, under-19, under-23, and

senior Senior (shortened as Sr.) means "the elder" in Latin and is often used as a suffix for the elder of two or more people in the same family with the same given name, usually a parent or grandparent. It may also refer to: * Senior (name), a surname ...

levels. He made his under-16 debut on 27 October 2007 during the 2008 AFC U-16 qualifiers against Sri Lanka in which India's under-16s won 6–0. He then scored his first goal at that level on 4 November 2007 during the qualifiers against Saudi Arabia in the 65th minute to provide India's under-16s a 3–0 win. Ralte then scored a brace for the India under-16s on 4 October 2008 against

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

in the opening match of the

2008 AFC U-16 Championship The 2008 AFC U-16 Championship was the 13th competition of the AFC U-17 Championship organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), which was held between 4 and 19 October 2008 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. The AFC U-17 Championship 2008 Qualifi ...

but he could not stop India losing in the end 5–2. Ralte then made his under-19 debut on 5 November 2009 against Iraq during the 2010 AFC U-19 Qualifiers in which India's under-19s lost 5–0. Ralte then scored a brace for India's under-19s on 10 November 2009 against Oman in the U19 qualifiers in which Ralte scored in the 15th and 19th minute but could not stop India losing 4–3 in the end. Then on 23 February 2011 Ralte made his debut for the under-23 side against

Myanmar Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...

in the 2012 Olympic qualifiers in which India U23s won 2–1. Ralte then scored his first goal at the under-23 level on 30 June 2012 during the 2013 AFC U-22 Asian Cup qualifiers against

Turkmenistan Turkmenistan is a landlocked country in Central Asia bordered by Kazakhstan to the northwest, Uzbekistan to the north, east and northeast, Afghanistan to the southeast, Iran to the south and southwest and the Caspian Sea to the west. Ash ...

in which Ralte scored from a 36th-minute penalty to give India U23s a 4–1 victory. Ralte made his debut for the senior side on 10 July 2011 against

Maldives The Maldives, officially the Republic of Maldives, and historically known as the Maldive Islands, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in South Asia located in the Indian Ocean. The Maldives is southwest of Sri Lanka and India, abou ...

in a friendly in which he came on as a sub for Syed Nabi; India drew the match 1–1. Ralte then made his tournament debut for India during the opening match of the

2011 SAFF Championship The 2011 South Asian Football Federation Championship, sponsored by Karbonn Mobiles and officially named Karbonn SAFF Championship 2011, was the 9th tournament of the SAFF Championship, which held in New Delhi, India. Venue It was originally ...

on 3 December 2011 against

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

at the Nehru Stadium in

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...

; India drew 1–1 in that match.

Career statistics

Club

''Statistics accurate as of 25 March 2021'' ;Notes

National team statistics

''Statistics accurate as of 17 March 2015''

Honours

India *

SAFF Championship The SAFF Championship (erstwhile SAARC Gold Cup and SAFF Gold Cup), is the primary association football competition contested by the senior List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams of the South Asian Football Fede ...

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

* Intercontinental Cup:

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

Churchill Brothers *

Durand Cup The Durand Cup (also called the IndianOil Durand Cup Powered by Coal India Limited for sponsorship reasons) is an annual domestic football competition in India which was first held in 1888 in Annadale, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh. Hosted by the ...

East Bengal *

: 2013–14, 2018–19 * Federation Cup:

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

: 2012–13, 2013–14, 2016-17 *

IFA Shield The IFA Shield is a football competition organized by the Indian Football Association, the football governing body in the Indian state of West Bengal. The IFA came into existence in 1893, and was named after the association. The IFA Shield to ...

Atletico de Kolkata * ISL:

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

References

External links

* *
Lalrindika Ralte
at

Sportskeeda Nazara Technologies is an Indian Multinational corporation, multinational technology company that has business interests in mobile games, esports, and sports media. It is based in Mumbai. History Nazara Technologies was founded by Nitish Mitte ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ralte, Lalrindika 1992 births Living people People from Lunglei Indian men's footballers 21st-century Indian sportsmen Footballers from Mizoram Mizo people I-League players Indian Arrows players East Bengal Club players Churchill Brothers FC Goa players Mumbai City FC players Indian Super League players India men's international footballers India men's youth international footballers Footballers at the 2014 Asian Games Men's association football midfielders Footballers at the 2010 Asian Games Asian Games competitors for India