Rino Anto
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A profile
Source: Goal
09-Jul-2015
NIKHIL JITENDRAN
Rino Anto was born in the commerical district of Thrissur, in Kerala. He is an Alumni of the renowned Tata Football Academy (TFA) in Jamshedpur and prediominantly plays as a right-back for his teams. After graduating from the academy in 2008, he was drafted into the Mohun Bagan side, and played under the tutelage of coach Karim Bencherifa. That season was a particularly successful one for the Mariners. and Anto, considering they won the Federation Cup, the Kolkata league as well as the Super Cup. They missed out on the I-League, by just a fine margin, although they put up a stirring campaign to finish in second place.
Post the completion of the 2009-10 season, Bagan initiated the process to release the youngster, who then signed on for Goan club Salgaocar FC, whose gaffer was incidently Bencherifa himself, after vacating the hot seat at Mohun Bagan. It was at Salgaocar that he found his career taking shape as he added yet another Federation Cup to his trophy cabinet, whilst also winning the I-League with the Greens for the very first time.
After two successful years with Salgaocar, the Kerala-lad traded the I-League's top division for the second, opting for Quartz FC, a Kerala based side. However, it turned out to be a misjudgement as he failed to tart a single match in which the side played, subsequently opting to leave the bottom placed side in Group Two. He found solace with Santosh Trophy side of Kerala, who finished runners-up to the Services team in 2013, losing on penalties, 3-4.
He retuned to Mohun Bagan, only to see his contract rescinded within 20 days as the team were deemed unable to afford his remuneration. He finally found his perfect fit with Bengaluru FC, who opted to sign him ahead of commencing operations in 2013. He made his debut for the side in a 1-1 draw, coincidentally against Mohun Bagan, coming on as a substitute in the 71st minute. He subsequently ended up winning the I-League in the 2013-14 seaon and following that up with a Federation Cup win in the following season, where his Blues finished second to Mohun Bagan. He has made 41 appearances in all for his Bengaluru-based side, scoring a goal.
He is one of the most distinguished players on offer in the auction, with a trophy haul that consists of all the major silverware on offer in India.
Anto recently made his Indian national team, starting in both of the team's losses in the World Cup Qualification group, against Oman and Guam.
Anto has a reputation of leading the attack down the right, gracing the touchline as he makes use of his fantastic pace. He's been gifted with great feet and usually finds his crosses hitting an optimum level of accuracy. He great on throw-ins, and all these factors combined, ensured he earned the reputation of being 'India's best right-back' according to his domestic coach, Ashley Westwood. His stability and doggedness in attack will be a plus for any ISL side needing reinforcements in the right-back slot. Versatality is an important trait as he can also fill in as a left back, as was witnessed in his days at Salgaocar FC.
Unfortunately, however, it's Rino's biggest responsibility that he turns out to be wanting far too often. His defensive organization has been found suspect, as displayed when India took on Oman, as he bombed forward without finding the thrust or impetuous to get back and block the counters. He cannot track opponent wingers, and that turns out ot be a slipping stone for any ISL side willing to invest in him.
