Rahul Bheke signed two-year contract with Mumbai City FC
Rahul Bheke has signed a two-year contract with Mumbai City FC, the current champion of the Indian Super League.
The defender joins the Islanders having put pen to paper on a two-year contract until the end of the 2022-23 campaign with an option to extend for a further season.
Bheke, 30, who can play across the backline, started his career through the youth sides of Mahindra United and went on to play for Air India, Mumbai Tigers and Mumbai FC before moving to East Bengal in 2015.
In the ISL, the Mumbai-born player has played for Kerala Blasters, FC Pune City and champion side Bengaluru FC in the past five years. Bheke’s best moment came in 2019 when BFC lifted the ISL title in 2019 when he scored the winner in the extra-time.
Currently with the Indian National Team’s preparatory camp in Kolkata ahead of the International Friendlies, Bheke has been capped 13 times since making his debut for the Blue Tigers vs Curaçao in June 2019 during the Kings’ Cup in Thailand and recently featured in the Qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and the AFC Asian Cup China 2023.
“It’s a surreal feeling to have joined Mumbai City. This is my hometown club and of course, the defending champions. The feeling of representing your city and your people is what makes this game more special for me, and I did not have to think twice when the opportunity to join Mumbai City came about. I am aware of the ambitions we have at our club and the expectations that coach Sergio Lobera has from me, and I’m fully prepared for the challenges that lie ahead. I’m ready to start this new journey with my new family and make memories with our fans,” said Bheke.
Mumbai City FC are the current ISL champions and will represent India in the 2022 AFC Champions League.
“Rahul is an experienced professional. He’s tremendously versatile in his abilities and he brings the traits of a leader, which is highly regarded in our club. Rahul knows what it takes to be a winner and he has the right mentality. He’s a Mumbai boy and I am sure he knows what it means to be here and what it would take. We are happy to have him here and I am confident that he can contribute positively at Mumbai City,” said coach Sergio Lobera in a statement.
