Gurpreet Singh Sandhu
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The Times of India, Apr 24 2015
Sandhu 1st Indian to play for top div Europe club
Debayan Mukherjee
Gurpreet Singh Sandhu already stands tall at 6'6.But his stature rose dramatically after he became the first Indian ever to play a competitive match for the senior side of a first division European side. The 23-year-old goalkeeper turned out for Stabaek FC in a Norwegian Cup game in Sandefjord against Runar on Wednesday .To his credit, the Mohali lad kept a clean sheet in his side's 6-0 romp. “It feels great, and I feel very lucky to be at this point, do ing this,“ an elated Gurpreet told TOIover phone from Norway on Thursday afternoon. “I couldn't ask for more. I am happy that my coach (Bob Bradley) and goalkeeping coach (Espen Granli) trusted me. The fact I kept a clean sheet adds to the joy,“ he added.
Gurpreet moved to Sta baek from East Bengal in August last year. By starting for the first team, he surpassed big names like Mohammad Salim, Baichung Bhutia, Sunil Chhetri and Subrata Pal who plied their trade in Europe but never managed an appearance in the top tier. While Bhutia played competitive matches for Bury FC in the third division, Salim featured in friendlies for Celtic. Chhetri and Paul could never make the cut for Sporting Lisbon `B' and FC Vestsjaelland during their brief stays in Portugal and Denmark respectively .
By his own admission, Sandhu was largely untested with his side taking the game by the scruff of the neck from the first whistle. Still, his feat “was not an easy task,“ as former India captain Sunil Chhetri pointed out.
“I didn't have much to do to be honest. But the sheer fact that I was be tween the team winning or getting knocked out from the Cup was a great feeling. I was talking to the defenders all the time and staying focused. It's not easy to be in the game when the team is attacking,“ said Gurpreet.
Narrating how the D-Day in his life unfolded, Gurpreet said it was on the match day itself that the goalkeeping coach walked up to him in the team bus and broke the news. “I was pretty surprised. It took me some time before I could give him a high-five. I played in the first reserve game on Monday and I was pretty good in that match.It's very difficult for a goalkeeper to stave off completion and make the first team. I had to work my socks off to see the light of the day . I am living my dream now.“
Since joining the former Norwegian champions on a three-year contract last year, Gurpreet has been playing second fiddle to Ivory Coast international Sayouba Mande. Currently , Stabaek are ninth in the 16-team table after three matches, and Gurpreet wants to feature regularly for the first team now. “I miss India and the fans there.Here, there is not much frenzy but the standard of football is very high. I have to work so much harder to keep my spot and I know it won't be easy .“
Gurpreet who has represented India once drew a lot of praise from his senior national team colleagues including idol Subrata Pal. While Baichung felt that the start would do his confidence a world of good, Chhetri added that “the first time I saw him, during Bob's (Houghton) tenure, I knew this lad had potential. We met for the Nepal game last time and he said how he was relishing his time in Norway .“
India captain Pal wished him luck, saying: “I want him to grow. He is an inspiration for so many budding footballers. What he has achieved is remarkable.
2015
The Times of India, Nov 03 2015
Debayan Mukherjee
Indian footballer's Norwegian club stabaek qualifiy for 2016 league playoffs
Barely eight months after he created history by becoming the first Indian footballer to play for a first division European club, India goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu added another feather to his cap by ensuring that he would be the first Indian to be part of a team scheduled to play in the Europa League next season. In Nov 2015 Stabaek FC, Gurpreet's employers in Norway , ensured a qualifying berth after triumphing over lowly Start in the penultimate round of the Norwegian League, also called Tippeligaen. The 23-year old’s contract with the Norwegian outfit runs till 2017. Sandhu has played 20 odd reserve team matches for Stabaek besides the maiden first team Cup game.
2016
May
The Times of India, May 31 2016
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Gurpreet creates history again
Debayan Mukherjee Goalkeeper Becomes First Indian To Play In A League Game For A Top Division European Club
Perched on a couple of rare milestones in the sport that has brought very few laurels for the country in recent years, the 6-feet-5-inch tall goalkeeper from Punjab achieved a rare feat when he started for his club Stabaek FC in the 13th round of Tippeligaen, Norway's premier league, first for any Indian in Europe.
And just like his maiden game for the Norwegian side in a Cup game against IL Runar a year ago, when he grabbed headlines for the first time, Gurpreet picked up a clean sheet against wooden spooners IK Start. Stabaek won 5-0 but remained in the relegation zone as they have only 10 points from 13 games, making this their third win of the season. “Clean sheeeeeeeeeet!“ texted the 24-year old to TOI an hour after the final game before the international break ended in Kristiansand. “That's the most important thing for me. I have not conceded and made a few decent saves at crucial junctures,“ Gurpreet later said.
“I am proud to become the firstever Indian footballer to play in a league game for a top division side in Europe. But at the same time I also urge youngsters to take the bold step.You have to come out of your comfort zone and test what you got. It still isn't easy for me, but I am ready to give what it takes to lift me to the next level,“ he added.
A string of good performances in the Norwegian Cup, and for the reserve side which he captained recently, has helped the former East Bengal keeper get a league call-up for a crucial game which Stabaek had to win to keep their chances of avoiding the drop alive.
“We played really well in the last game. Though we were knocked out of the Cup, we were the better side. I think the coach did not want to change the team for this one which was a very important game for us going into the break,“ he said.
Stabaek were knocked out from the Norwegian Cup, where Gurpreet is a regular starter now, by Stromsgodset in the pre-quarterfinal stage last week. The next game they play is the Europa League first round qualifying on June 30.
Is Gurpreet expecting a start there as well? It that happens, would be a feat peerless by the distance of Norway and India? “I have learnt to stay calm in Norway . People here don't go overboard at the drop of a hat. I have seen so any times Magnus Carlsen roam around the streets here without any fanfare.
“On my way to the airport this mor ning, some local media guys dropped me to the train station from my home asking in between about how I landed in Norway, and whether I am famous in India. I said no. Cricket is big there. They seemed clueless!,“ Gurpreet, who is expected to join the Indian team in Vientiane as they fly out to face Laos in the first leg of their Asian Cup qualifiers play-offs, said..
