In a huge boost for Indian football, goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, has expressed his pride at becoming the first Indian footballer to captain a European football team. The 24-year-old shot-stopper plays for Norwegian Tippeligaen club Stabæk.
Gurpreet Singh made the announcement of his remarkable achievement on Twitter saying it was not about awards, but more about achievements.
The Indian had earlier told Sportskeeda in an exclusive interview about his time at the Norwegian club. He stated, “It has been a privilege to be here and experience the standard of European football. I’m glad that I’m here and cherish every moment of it. Every single training session helps me learn something new and, in turn, makes me a better player.”
When asked why he chose to go to Europe over accepting contracts from teams in the lucrative Indian Super League, Singh said, “Yes, there were offers from India, specifically from the I-league and the ISL. However, I knew my future was in Europe. If I didn’t sign for Stabaek, I would have tried to sign for a Spanish club as some interest was shown from there. Everton were also interested.”
Also read: I had offers from I-League and ISL – Gurpreet
His dedication and will to learn have led him to this historic achievement for Indian sport. He said his decision to move to Europe was more about chasing his dreams and hence the goalkeeper rejected many offers from Indian clubs. The India international felt that the risk he had taken had paid off and he was extremely happy.
The goalkeeper made more than 100 appearances for East Bengal between 2010 and 2014 before going to Stabæk for a trial. Prior to his stint with East Bengal, Gurpreet also spent a year on loan at Pailan Arrows. He was soon offered a contract at the Norwegian club thanks to his impressive performances, which he signed in August 2014.
On doing so, Gurpreet Singh became only the fifth Indian player to play professionally in Europe after Mohammed Salim, Baichung Bhutia, Sunil Chhetri and Subrata Paul.
Gurpreet’s club currently lies 15th in the 16 team Tippeligaen with just four points from their opening seven games in the season.
