Ranti Martins Soleye (born 5 September 1986) is a Nigerian former professional footballer who played as a striker. Martins regarded as one of the best foreign players to play in the 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 an Indian top tier season by scoring 32 goals in the 2011–12 I-League season for Dempo. He scored a total 22 goals for Indian clubs at the continental tournament AFC Cup.
Club career
Nigeria & Ghana
Martins as a teenager went to Anwar-L-Islam College in Agege, Lagos where he played for the football club in the Principal Cup and the Shell Cup. He then moved to Ghana where he joined Asante Kotoko Football Academy. He stayed at the Academy till 2004 before moving to King Faisal Babes in the Ghana Premier League.
Dempo
In 2004 Martins signed for Dempo S.C. of the National Football League. His first tournament was the 2004 Federation Cup which Dempo won. After playing his first season with Dempo during the 2004–05 Martins finished the season as the 2nd top scorer at 15 goals, behind Dudu Omagbemi who had 21 goals. He did however lead Dempo to the championship that very season as well. Martins made his debut in the AFC Cup during the 2005 version of the cup against Al Ahed of Lebanon on 9 March 2005. Dempo lost the match 0–1.
The next season after the 2005–06 season Dempo finished in 5th place but Martins himself finished as the league top scorer with 13 goals. He also scored 2 goals during the 2006 AFC Cup against Al-Nasr from Oman and FC Merw of Turkmenistan. Both matches ended 1–3 and 2–2 respectively. The next season Ranti Martins finished as joint top scorer with Odafe Onyeka Okolie with 16 goals.
Martins then became one of the top scorers in the first season of the newly started I-League in 2007–08 when he scored 12 goals throughout the whole season, only ten goals behind the top scorer Odafe Onyeka Okolie, and tied with Somalian Mboyo Iyomi. However it was enough to help Dempo win the I-League that season. With the I-League victory Dempo once again played in the AFC Cup in 2008 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 to Al-Safa of Lebanon by an aggregate score of 5–1. Martins then however regressed during the next season of the I-League in the 2008–09 in which Martins finished with only nine goals as Dempo went on finish fourth in the league that season. 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. Meanwhile, during that season Martins helped Dempo make it to the Round of 16 during the 2009 AFC Cup in which he finished tied for eighth in scoring with five goals during the tournament.
Martins then finally finished as the top scorer in the I-League after scoring 28 goals during the 2010–11 season but he could not help Dempo win the title as Dempo finished in third place. Martins then became the top scorer again in the I-League the next season, the 2011–12 season, with 32 goals and he also helped Dempo win the I-League title.
United
2012–13 season
On 12 May 2012 it was officially confirmed that Martins had signed with big spenders, Prayag United, who also play in the I-League. Martins made his official debut for Prayag United on 20 September 2012 against Salgaocar in the first match of the 2012 Indian Federation Cup in which Prayag United lost 1–0. Martins then made his league debut for Prayag United on 7 October 2012 against Air India in which he also scored a debut hat-trick for his club as Prayag United won the match 5–1. Martins then scored again on 26 October 2012 against ONGC at the Ambedkar Stadium as Prayag United drew the match 1–1.