A boy with very humble beginnings, Rino Anto toiled hard and long to make it as a professional footballer. Born in Thrissur, Kerala, Rino traveled to the TATA Football Academy in Jamshedpur as a 16-year-old before signing his first professional contract with Kolkata giants Mohun Bagan four years later. After stints in Kolkata and Goa, where he represented Salgaocar, a knee injury saw Rino almost quit the sport he loved, resorting to a job with the Postal services in Kerala. With one final push from his mother, who mortgaged her jewellery to fund his operations, Rino joined Quartz, an I-League 2nd Division club from Kozhikode before being picked up by the Blues ahead of their maiden campaign in 2013-14. A right-back by trade, Rino spent seasons at ATK and Kerala Blasters before returning to the club ahead of the victorious 2018-19 Indian Super League campaign.