Gurpreet Singh Sandhu facts for kids
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Gurpreet Singh Sandhu | ||
| Date of birth | 3 February 1992 | ||
| Place of birth | Mohali, India | ||
| Height | 1.97 m (6 ft 6 in) | ||
| Playing position | Goalkeeper | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Bengaluru | ||
| Number | 1 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2000–2009 | St. Stephen's FA | ||
| 2009–2010 | East Bengal | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2009–2014 | East Bengal | 44 | (0) |
| 2010–2011 | → Pailan Arrows (loan) | 0 | (0) |
| 2014–2017 | Stabæk | 3 | (0) |
| 2017– | Bengaluru | 155 | (0) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2010 | India U19 | 10 | (0) |
| 2010–2012 | India U23 | 9 | (0) |
| 2011– | India | 76 | (0) |
† Appearances (Goals). |
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Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (born 3 February 1992) is a professional footballer from India. He plays as a goalkeeper for Indian Super League club Bengaluru. Gurpreet is also the captain of the India national team. Many people think he is one of the best Indian goalkeepers.
Gurpreet became the captain of the India national team for the first time on 3 September 2016. This was during a friendly match against Puerto Rico, which India won 4–1.
He has achieved some amazing things in football. He was the first Indian player to play a competitive match for a top-division European club. He was also the first Indian to play in the UEFA Europa League, which is a big European football competition.
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Early life and start in football
Gurpreet was born into a Sikh family in Mohali, Punjab, India. He started playing football when he was just 9 years old.
Club career journey
Starting out in football
Gurpreet began playing football at age eight. In 2000, he joined the St Stephen's Academy. His good performances there led to him being chosen for the Punjab U16 youth team. He played his first youth state-level game in 2006. Gurpreet stayed at the academy until 2009. Then, he joined I-League team East Bengal as a youth player.
Playing for East Bengal
In 2010, Gurpreet signed his first professional contract with East Bengal. He played five matches for them in the 2009–10 season. For the 2010–11 season, he was loaned to Pailan Arrows to get more playing time. However, he did not play any games for them.
In the 2011–12 season, Gurpreet became East Bengal's main goalkeeper. He played in the 2011 Federation Cup and then in the I-League. He also made his debut in Asian club competitions in 2012, playing in the AFC Cup. Gurpreet continued to play for East Bengal until 2014.
Moving to Stabæk in Europe
On 15 August 2014, Gurpreet signed with Stabæk, a club in Norway. This was a big step for him. On 18 January 2015, he played his first senior game for the club in a friendly match.
In May 2016, Gurpreet made history. He played his first league match for Stabæk against IK Start. This made him the first Indian player ever to play in a top-division European football league.
On 30 June 2016, Gurpreet made another big achievement. He became the first Indian to play in a UEFA Europa League match. This is a major European club competition. He started the game for Stabæk against Connah's Quay Nomads in Wales. Gurpreet played his last league match for Stabæk in June 2017. He then left the club in August 2017 to return to India.
Joining Bengaluru FC
In August 2017, Gurpreet joined Bengaluru. He quickly became an important player for the team. He made his debut for Bengaluru in an AFC Cup match. His league debut was against Mumbai City, where he kept a "clean sheet" (meaning he didn't let the other team score).
Gurpreet played a key role in Bengaluru reaching the finals of the 2017–18 Indian Super League season. He kept seven clean sheets that season. In March 2018, he signed a new contract with Bengaluru until 2023.
In the 2018–19 Indian Super League season, Gurpreet helped Bengaluru win their first Indian Super League trophy. He kept seven clean sheets again that season. He also won the Golden Glove award in the 2019–20 Indian Super League season for keeping 11 clean sheets. This was the most by any goalkeeper that season.
In the 2021-22 season, Gurpreet became the vice-captain of Bengaluru. He even captained the team in some games when the main captain, Sunil Chhetri, was not playing.
International career for India
Gurpreet first played for the India U19s in November 2009. This was during a qualification match for the 2010 AFC U-19 Championship qualification.
He was then chosen for the senior Indian squad for the 2011 AFC Asian Cup. He made his debut for the senior team against Turkmenistan in a 1–1 draw.
Gurpreet played in the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. He kept a clean sheet against Guam in November 2015. He also kept another clean sheet against Sri Lanka in the SAFF Suzuki Cup 2015. In 2016, he captained the India national team against Puerto Rico.
2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers
Gurpreet played for India in the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers. On 5 September 2019, he made his 35th appearance for the team against Oman.
In the second group stage match of the 2022 World Cup Qualifiers, Gurpreet was the captain. This was because the regular captain, Sunil Chhetri, was injured. Gurpreet played against the Asian Champions, Qatar. He made 11 saves against Qatar's strong attacks. India successfully drew the match 0–0, and Gurpreet was seen as a hero for his team.
Personal life and interests
Gurpreet is a fan of famous goalkeepers. He admires Edwin van der Sar, a former goalkeeper for Manchester United. He also looks up to Subrata Pal, another Indian International goalkeeper. Gurpreet studied at DAV College in Chandigarh. He is sponsored by the German sportswear brand PUMA.
Career statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Other | Continental | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| East Bengal | 2009–10 | I-League | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 9 | 0 |
| 2011–12 | 16 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 24 | 0 | ||
| 2012–13 | 14 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 33 | 0 | ||
| 2013–14 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 26 | 0 | ||
| East Bengal total | 44 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 32 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 92 | 0 | ||
| Pailan Arrows (loan) | 2010–11 | I-League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 |
| Stabæk | 2014 | Tippeligaen | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2016 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | ||
| 2017 | Eliteserien | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 4 | 0 | |
| Stabæk total | 3 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 0 | ||
| Bengaluru | 2017–18 | Indian Super League | 19 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | — | 4 | 0 | 27 | 0 |
| 2018–19 | 20 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 23 | 0 | ||
| 2019–20 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 22 | 0 | ||
| 2020–21 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 20 | 0 | ||
| 2021–22 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 19 | 0 | ||
| 2022–23 | 24 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 0 | ||
| Bengaluru total | 116 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 145 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 163 | 0 | 22 | 0 | 37 | 0 | 26 | 0 | 248 | 0 | ||
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| India | 2011 | 1 | 0 |
| 2015 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2016 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2017 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 11 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 10 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2023 | 10 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 10 | 0 | |
| Total | 76 | 0 | |
Honours and awards
India
- SAFF Championship: 2011, 2015, 2021, 2023
- Intercontinental Cup: 2018, 2023
- Tri-Nation Series: 2023
East Bengal
- Federation Cup: 2012
- Indian Super Cup: 2011
- Calcutta Football League: 2011, 2012–13, 2013–14
- IFA Shield: 2012
Bengaluru
- Indian Super League: 2018–19
- Hero Super Cup: 2018
- Durand Cup: 2022
Individual awards
- Arjuna Award: 2019
- Indian Super League Golden glove: 2018–19, 2019–20
- Tri-Nation Series Golden Glove: 2023
See also
In Spanish: Gurpreet Singh para niños
- List of Indian football players in foreign leagues
