The Indian Football Circuit gets a new breakout star every year. Many of them are defenders and, at the same time, India was blessed to have some match-winning defenders throughout the years. From Sailen Manna and Subrata Bhattacharya to Gourmangi Singh and now Sandesh Jhingan and Chinglensana, every generation had one reputed stopper who played strong in the backline. The most recent starry-eyed person is Martand Raina. He is of Rajasthan and he is just 16 years old and he already looks like a pro.
Martand Raina is one of the most promising aspects of this season. He plays as a center back and is currently playing for ISL side East Bengal FC and he’s just 24 years of age with a brilliant height of 6’2, and the Red Gold brigade will look forward towards his performance.
From the Cradle of Aravalli to the Greenfields of Bengal
Martand Raina was born in Rajasthan in a family who are Kashmiri pundits. He started his football career in Hindustan’s under-18 age group team and has gone through the ranks each year. He got his first senior call-up in Rajasthan Perfect FC, where he played only 3 games in I-League 2 and scored a goal as a defender. Although that was a short stay for Martand, as the club dissolved his contract a year after, and Martand became a free agent without any club.
After staying a year without a club, he got the call-up from Rajasthan United FC. Though it was a short stay, he started to show his potential along with his hardworking capacity; in spite of that, he stayed mostly on the bench. To get more time, he left Rajasthan United and joined Red Devils FC and played for them for a year and gained his playing time and experience and after a year, he played for Jaipur Elite FC, where he played in the I-League 3, where he played 4 matches and scored twice.
After that spell, he went to Adamas United and played in the RFDL youth league and grabbed everyone’s attention from there. With the development and regular improvement, he became one of the most promising prodigies in India and Rajasthan United signed him again but this time as their starter in defense.
He became the star of Rajasthan United and got 21 matches under his belt this time and also scored 4 goals and played a pivotal role in Rajasthan United’s performance and due to that performance, an ISL call-up came for Martand Raina and it’s from one of the most historic clubs in India, East Bengal FC, who signed him for 25 lakh rupees from Rajasthan United and registered him for the Durand Cup as well.
Future of East Bengal and Indian Football:
With the type of potential and performance Martand Raina is showing and improving his game with every passing year, he can surely be the ray of hope for East Bengal and also a silver lining for India as well. A defender with a good height and physicality to overpower opposition and a good sense of tackling the attackers.
Also, the quality of playing ball from the back and creating attacks from the backline—Martand has got everything to be a top-level defender yet a very long way to go for him to be designated as the best defender of India but he has got all the attributes and potential to be at the pinnacle of his powers.
More Stories From Sportspedia Zone-
- Major Football Rule Changes Proposed Ahead of 2026 World Cup: VAR, Penalties & More
- Gio Reyna at the Crossroads: Why MLS, Not Serie A, Is the Right Move to Revive His Career
- 134th Durand Cup 2025 Preview: Full Fixtures, Teams, Venues, and Broadcast Details
- Durand Cup 2025: Celebrating 134th Edition of Indian Football’s Most Historic Competition
Vibhor Gautam 
Sagnik Banerjee