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. Pogba posts emotional message to Rashford & Lingard

    Former Manchester United team-mates Marcus Rashford and Jesse Lingard were reunited in South Korea as Barcelona faced FC Seoul during the Asia tour of the pre-season preparations. After the match, the two former colleagues caught up and shared a photograph on Instagram and under the comment section, Paul Pogba sent an emotional message, while Nemanja Matic cracked a joke.

  2. Tom Brady laughs at Wrexham bottom-of-the-table joke

    Tom Brady has joked that he will take a screenshot of the current Championship table that shows Birmingham at the top, while Wrexham, due to alphabetical order, are bottom. The two teams were promoted from League One at the end of the 2024-25 season and have formed a light-hearted rivalry, given their links to the USA via their high-profile owners.

  3. 📽️ | Wirtz opens Liverpool goal account with sweeping finish

    Florian Wirtz scored his first goal for Liverpool since completing a £116 million ($156m) British record transfer from Bayer Leverkusen this summer. He opened the scoring for the Reds in a comfortable 3-1 victory over J1 League side Yokohama F Marinos in a pre-season friendly on Wednesday. Trey Nyoni and Rio Ngumoha were the other scorers for the English side.

  4. Lionesses book in friendly clash with China after Euro 2025 success

    England will face Women's Asian Cup winners China in a meeting of continental champions at Wembley in November. The friendly match will serve as a perfect rehearsal for Sarina Wiegman's side ahead of the 2027 Women's World Cup qualifiers, which begin in February. The Lionesses won the 2025 European Championship by beating Spain on penalties in the final.

  1. Man Utd target swap deals to offload Garnacho

    Manchester United are ready to offload Alejandro Garnacho as part of a swap deal as they eye moves for Chelsea's Nicolas Jackson and Aston Villa forward Ollie Watkins this summer. Garnacho has been a part of United's 'bomb squad' along with Jadon Sancho, Antony and Tyrell Malacia, with the Argentine winger having been told to find a new club by coach Ruben Amorim.