26 Thursday 2026 | NEUFC Media

It is the 1980s. You are a young, lanky boy playing football in Singjamei Waikhom Leikai, on the outskirts of Imphal. Today, you move up the ranks by playing age-group football. But things were a little different back then. Rather than your age, it was your stature that determined which group you played in the “Heights Tournament”. What does that even mean? If a growth spurt hit you and you became taller than your mates, you moved up. You either played with supposedly older boys or you didn’t play at all. Young Moirangthem Ratankumar Singh chose the first option. At times, he even played as a goalkeeper. He just wanted to play football. It wouldn’t be the last time he would step out of his preferred position. Born on 1 March 1973, Ratankumar began his football journey with Southern Sporting Union (SSU), a club where his father was the club’s first secretary. He spent his formative years — from 1989 to 1994 — at SSU. However, it was a brief month at the Williamson Magor Football Academy in Assam, under the watchful eyes of Shyam Thapa and Kanan Deban, that broadened his perspective. Rising through the ranks The 1994–95 season earned Ratankumar his first call-up to the Manipur state team. During a tournament in Ooty, Karnataka, his performances began to turn heads. At 22, it was the breakthrough he needed. The reward followed soon after — a move to Churchill Brothers in Goa. But the competition in the stacked Goan side was cutthroat for a place in midfield. Once again, Ratankumar faced a choice between warming the bench or running up and down the flank as a left-back. This time, he chose the latter, and he flourished in his new role. Glory and agony The three years at Churchill Brothers brought laurels and near-misses in equal measure. The club were crowned Goa Super League champions three consecutive times from 1995–96 to 1997–98. Yet on the national stage, heartbreak lingered. In the inaugural National Football League season (1996–97), Churchill Brothers missed the title by a single point. Close enough to touch. Just out of reach. At the start of the 1998–99 season, Ratankumar moved to East Bengal FC, one of Kolkata’s giants. Over four years, he experienced familiar patterns of ecstasy and frustration. East Bengal lifted back-to-back IFA Shield titles in 2000 and 2001, but fell short in the 1998 and 1999 Durand Cup finals. On the continental stage, his journey took him beyond Indian shores. He featured in AFC competitions with Churchill Brothers, travelling to Vietnam, and later represented East Bengal in a tournament in China. Even in the Santosh Trophy, his journey was layered. At the time, regulations allowed him to represent Goa. Ironically, the home side lost 1–0 to Bengal in the final in Margao. But destiny had a different script in store, as he was one of the two Manipuri players in the Bengal team that lifted the Santosh Trophy, beating Goa in the final. The crowning moment arrived in 2002. Manipur was hosting the Santosh Trophy for the first time. In the semi-final, after a tense 0–0 draw, he stepped up to convert the first penalty in the shootout. In the final, Manipur defeated Kerala 2–1. As the captain of Manipur, Ratankumar lifted the trophy, the state’s only Santosh Trophy title to date. In the twilight of his playing career, he turned out for Dempo Sports Club and later joined Mohammedan Sporting Club in 2005–06, as the Kolkata side returned to the top tier. If there is one regret from his playing days, it is this: only two caps for India — one at the Millennium Super Soccer Cup (2001) and another in a World Cup qualifier. For someone who gave so much to the domestic game, he felt there could have been more. Foray into coaching When the boots were finally hung up, football did not leave him. Ratankumar credits his former teammate, Naushad Moosa, for nudging him into coaching. From 2009 to 2011, he succeeded Moosa at an international school in Baitul, Madhya Pradesh, beginning a new chapter. What followed were stints with Oil India, Assam Police, clubs in the Arunachal Pradesh League, and teams in Guwahati. Beyond coaching, he stepped into administration and currently serves as the President of the All Manipur Football Association, continuing to shape the game off the pitch. Today, Ratankumar is focused on grassroots development through the Ratan Football Academy. With around 40 players in the Under-11 and Under-14 age groups, his days are once again spent on training grounds — only this time, he is the one giving instructions. The legacy The boy who once played goalkeeper just to stay on the pitch now ensures that no child is left out because of circumstance. He changed positions to survive. He captained his state to history. He travelled across India and Asia chasing the game he loved. Now, he builds platforms so the next generation does not have to fight the same battles. Legacy is not always measured in the number of trophies won. Sometimes, it is measured in the fields you leave behind for others to play on. And in Singjamei Waikhom Leikai, and beyond, the story continues to inspire.