Ritabrata Banerjee

Ritabrata Banerjee

News writer

📝Bio: Ritabrata has been living and breathing football for nearly two decades. Has a bachelor's degree in Business Management but took up sports journalism as a career path to live and breathe football. He joined GOAL in 2017 and has since made his mark covering the Indian Super League, I-League, and the Indian national team. He has also been part of Goal's coverage team at the FIFA U17 World Cup 2017. Based in Kolkata, where football is a religion, he grew up idolising Bhaichung Bhutia and continues to support East Bengal FC. 

⚽My Football Story: My football journey began in 1999 with the Kolkata derby when I was a seven-year-old and watched a live football match for the first time. The 2002 World Cup solidified my love for the game. In a cricket-obsessed nation, football continues to remain my true passion.

🎯Areas of Expertise:

  • Social media-specific content
  • Premier League, Champions League, World Cup, Euros, European & Indian football coverage
  • Tactical analysis of the Indian national team, Indian Super League clubs and European teams
  • News & SEO content writing

🌟Favourite Footballing Memory: East Bengal winning the ASEAN Club Championship in 2003, beating then AFC Champions League runners-up BEC Tero Sasana of Thailand, remains my most cherished football memory alongside watching the 'little Argentine' lifting the 2022 World Cup in Doha.

📝My All-Time XI: Manuel Neuer; Philipp Lahm, Sergio Ramos, Paolo Maldini, Roberto Carlos; Sergio Busquets, Zinedine Zidane, Andres Iniesta; Cristiano Ronaldo, Ronaldo Phenomenon, Lionel Messi.

Articles by Ritabrata Banerjee
  1. Howe fumes at 'mentally' weak Newcastle players after West Ham loss

    A furious Eddie Howe slammed the mentality of his Newcastle United players after a damning defeat to West Ham in the Premier League on Sunday. The Magpies had a nightmare outing at the London Stadium as they gifted the Hammers their first home win in nine months. After the loss, Howe's side have now slipped to 13th place in the Premier League table, with just three wins from their first 10 matches.

  2. 'Animal' Caicedo labelled 'best in the world' by Chelsea team-mate

    Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez hailed team-mate Moises Caicedo as an "actual animal" while calling him the "best midfielder in the world" after the Ecuador international provided the match-winning assist in the Blues' 1-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday. The victory helped the Blues climb up to sixth in the Premier League league table, level on 17 points with Spurs, Sunderland and Manchester United.

  3. Brendan Rodgers

    Wolves line up move to appoint Rodgers after sacking Pereira

    Brendan Rodgers could return to the Premier League after two years, as the ex-Liverpool manager is being deemed the front-runner to become Wolves' new head coach, replacing Vitor Pereira at the helm. The Portuguese coach was relieved of his duties following the club's humiliating 3-0 defeat against Fulham this weekend, which left them winless after their first 10 league matches.

  4. Foden delighted with start to life at Man City this season

    Phil Foden is delighted to endure an impressive start in the 2025-26 campaign as he claimed that the former Premier League champions are capable of further improving their performances as the season progresses. The Cityzens have collected 16 points from their first nine matches in the league and could climb up to the second position if they beat Bournemouth in a crucial clash at home on Sunday.

  5. Spurs & Chelsea poised to battle for Porto striker Aghehowa

    Premier League rivals Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur are all set to go head-to-head in the transfer market to secure a move for FC Porto's star striker Samu Aghehowa. The young Spaniard has enjoyed tremendous success since moving to the Liga Portugal in the summer of 2024. The 21-year-old is a key figure in the Porto squad, but the club are reportedly ready to sanction a move for him.

  6. Rob Mac sends heatfelt thank you after Wrexham comeback

    Wrexham co-owner Rob Mac sent a heartfelt thank you to the club fans after they staged a brilliant comeback win over league leaders Coventry City on Friday. After a disappointing exit from the Carabao Cup earlier this week, the Red Dragons were desperate for a victory in the Championship and Kieffer Moore delivered it for the Welsh club with an outstanding hat-trick.

  7. Why De Zerbi & Tuchel rejected Man Utd job before Amorim arrival

    Manchester United had held talks with Robert De Zerbi and Thomas Tuchel to replace Erik ten Hag as their head coach last year, before turning to Ruben Amorim for the role. On November 1, 2024, days after Ten Hag's sacking, the United hierarchy confirmed Amorim's arrival at Old Trafford from Sporting CP. After a disappointing start to their 2024-25 season, Ten Hag was shown the door in October.

  1. Miedema provides as Man City keep pressure on Chelsea

    Aoba Fujino starred with a goal in the first half as Manchester City beat relegation-threatened West Ham 1-0 in a Women's Super League clash on Saturday. The Cityzens would only manage to score once despite being the much superior side on the field, as they missed a series of chances throughout the game. Nevertheless, the win ensured the Manchester club remains within one point of leaders Chelsea at the top of the table.

  2. Slot addresses Liverpool sack talk as pressure cranks up

    Liverpool manager Arne Slot addressed talk of him losing his job amid the Reds' torrid run of form as pressure cranks up on the Dutch manager. The reigning English champions got off to a flying start in their title defence campaign but are now struggling for form as they have lost six out of their last seven matches across all competitions and are already seven points behind Premier League leaders Arsenal.

  3. 🎥 | Chelsea star caught on camera speeding & undertaking in Lambo

    Chelsea defender Wesley Fofana has been spared jail time despite being caught on camera driving dangerously in his Lamborghini. This was the French defender's ninth driving offence, and he is already serving a driving ban until May 2027. Fofana, who has been plagued by injuries in recent years, has appeared in five matches across all competitions for the Blues in the 2025-26 campaign, including three in the league.

  4. Palmer sends injury update but early return hopes dashed

    Chelsea star Cole Palmer sent out an impatient update on his injury status as he celebrated a landmark achievement for the Blues. Palmer has not appeared for the Premier League giants since their 2-1 defeat against Manchester United at home on September 20 as he deals with a groin problem, and any hopes Chelsea fans had that he might have been back in training have been dashed.

  5. Isak called out by Liverpool icon for 'huffing and puffing'

    Liverpool's record signing Alexander Isak has been called out by a club legend, with the struggling striker told that he's doing a lot of 'huffing and puffing' but not making himself 'a menace' for the Reds. The Premier League champions signed Isak for a British record fee of £125 million ($169.3m) from Newcastle United in the summer but the Swedish forward is struggling for form at Anfield.

  6. Man Utd fans enjoy Grimsby's Carabao Cup loss to Brentford

    Manchester United supporters very much enjoyed Grimsby Town's downfall as the League Two side crashed out of the Carabao Cup after losing 5-0 against Brentford on Tuesday. Grimsby fans were on cloud nine only a couple of months ago after they dumped the Red Devils out of the competition following an epic penalty shootout win over the Premier League giants. Goalkeeper Andre Onana in particular had a nightmare outing and was later loaned out to Turkey.

  7. Saliba & Martinelli become latest Arsenal injury casualties

    Arsenal have been dealt with a fresh injury blow with star players William Saliba and Gabriel Martinelli ruled out of action for their upcoming game with Brighton & Hove Albion in the Carabao Cup. The duo, along with Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice and Riccardo Calafiori, picked up problems in their last Premier League encounter against Crystal Palace, which the Gunners won 1-0 to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League table.

  8. Ronaldo & Al-Nassr dumped out of cup by 10-man Al-Ittihad

    Karim Benzema starred with a goal as reigning champions Al-Ittihad reached the quarter-final of the Saudi King's Cup of Champions after edging out Pro League leaders Al-Nassr 2-1 on Tuesday. Cristiano Ronaldo, Sadio Mane and Joao Felix had a night to forget as they failed to deliver in front of the goal despite dominating proceedings for the majority of the game with an extra player on the pitch.