Rahul Bheke

Early career and Air India

Born in Mumbai, Maharashtra, Bheke started to play football for his school teams before joining the under-19 squad of Mahindra United. Bheke then joined his first professional club, Air India, and played for them from 2011 to 2013. After Air India's relegation from the I-League, Bheke joined Mumbai Tigers. He played for them in small cup competitions before leaving the club.

Mumbai

In January 2014, Bheke returned to the I-League after he signed for Mumbai. He made his debut for the club on 15 January against Mohun Bagan in the Federation Cup. He came on as a substitute for Pappachen Pradeep as Mumbai lost 1–0. He went on to make eight appearances for the club that season and was signed a contract extension which will keep him till next season. Bheke scored his first professional goal on 7 April 2015 against Bengaluru at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium. His 67th-minute goal put Mumbai in the lead but Robin Singh managed to equalize two minutes before stoppage time to end the game 1–1.

East Bengal

After two seasons with Mumbai, Bheke signed for fellow I-League side, East Bengal. Bheke played his first debut match on 23 January 2016 against arch-rival Mohun Bagan which finished in a 1–1 draw. He played his last match of the season on 10 April in a 3–1 defeat against Bengaluru FC. Bheke left the club on loan for Kerala Blasters in the 2015 Indian Super League. After two loan stints, Bheke returned to East Bengal for the 2016–17…

Bheke got his call-up for the senior national team under the head coach Igor Štimac after his excellent performance in the 2018–19 Indian Super League season along with five other rookies. Bheke made his international debut against Curaçao in 2019 King's Cup on 5 June 2019 which turned out to be a 3–1 loss to India. After the King's Cup, Bheke was called up for the Indian squad to take part in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. He played his first of the qualifiers on 5 September 2019 against Oman, which India lost 1–2. He also played in India's match against Qatar on 10 September, where India put on an excellent show, as they drew against the continental champions 0–0. Bheke also appeared in the second qualifying match against Qatar on 3 June 2021, where he was booked twice, resulting in a red card in the early 17th minute of the game. India ended up losing the match 0–1 at full-time. Bheke scored his first international goal against Bahrain on 23 March 2022 in an eventual 2–1 loss.

Club

As of matches played till 12 October 2026

International

As of 9 June 2026

He married his longtime sweetheart Shraddha Waingankar in 2019.