Gurpreet Singh Sandhu facts for kids
Sandhu with India at the 2019 Asian Cup
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Gurpreet Singh Sandhu | ||
| Date of birth | 3 February 1992 | ||
| Place of birth | Mohali, India | ||
| Height | 1.94 m (6 ft 4 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Goalkeeper | ||
| Team information | |||
|
Current team
|
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 | 164 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2010 | India U19 | 10 | (0) |
| 2010–2012 | India U23 | 9 | (0) |
| 2011– | India | 76 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 12 April 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 15:00, 12 October 2024 (UTC) |
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Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (born 3 February 1992) is an Indian professional football player. He is a goalkeeper for the Indian Super League club Bengaluru and the India national football team.
Sandhu is a record-breaking player. He was the first Indian to play a competitive match for a top-level European club. He was also the first Indian to play in the UEFA Europa League, a major European tournament. On 3 September 2016, he was chosen to be the captain of the Indian national team for the first time in a friendly match against Puerto Rico, which India won 4–1.
Contents
Early Life and Start in Football
Gurpreet Singh Sandhu was born in Mohali, Punjab, India. He discovered his love for football when he was only nine years old and started training seriously.
He joined the St. Stephen's Academy in 2000. His talent was clear, and he was chosen to play for the Punjab U16 youth team. In 2009, he moved to the youth team of East Bengal, a major club in the I-League.
Club Career
First Professional Club: East Bengal
In 2010, Sandhu signed his first professional contract with East Bengal. He was very young and spent some time on loan to another team, Pailan Arrows, to get more experience.
By the 2011–12 season, he became the main goalkeeper for East Bengal in the I-League. He also played in the AFC Cup, which is a big football competition for clubs across Asia. He continued to play for East Bengal for several seasons, helping them in many important matches.
Making History in Europe with Stabæk
On 15 August 2014, Sandhu took a huge step in his career by signing with Stabæk, a club in Norway. This was a big deal because very few Indian players get to play in Europe.
He made his first appearance for the team in a friendly match in 2015. In May 2016, he made history by becoming the first Indian player to play in a top-division European league match. His team won the game 5–0.
A month later, on 30 June 2016, he broke another record. He became the first Indian to play in a UEFA Europa League match. This was a proud moment for Indian football. After three years in Norway, Sandhu decided to return to India in 2017.
Success with Bengaluru FC
In August 2017, Sandhu joined Bengaluru. He quickly became a key player for the team. In his first season, he helped Bengaluru reach the final of the Indian Super League (ISL). He was amazing in goal, keeping seven clean sheets (matches where he did not let the other team score).
The next season (2018–19), he helped Bengaluru win the ISL trophy. For his outstanding performance, he was awarded the Golden Glove award for being the best goalkeeper in the league. He won the Golden Glove again in the 2019–20 season after keeping 11 clean sheets.
Sandhu is also the vice-captain of Bengaluru and continues to be one of the most important players on the team.
International Career
Playing for India
Sandhu started playing for India's youth teams in 2009. He made his debut for the senior India national football team in 2011 in a match against Turkmenistan.
He became a regular goalkeeper for the national team during the qualifiers for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. He played in important matches against strong teams like Iran. In 2016, he had the honor of captaining the national team for the first time.
2022 World Cup Qualifiers
Sandhu was a hero for India during the qualifying matches for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. In a match against Qatar, the champions of Asia, India's main captain was injured. Sandhu stepped up as captain for the game.
He played one of the best games of his life, making 11 incredible saves. Thanks to his amazing goalkeeping, India managed to draw the match 0–0. This was a huge achievement for the team.
Personal Life
Gurpreet is a fan of the famous Dutch goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar, who used to play for Manchester United. He also looks up to Indian goalkeeper Subrata Pal. He graduated from DAV College in Chandigarh. He is sponsored by the sportswear company PUMA.
Honours
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
- 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
