Gurpreet Singh Sandhu is an Indian professional footballer, who plays for the Indian national football team and the Indian Super League club, Bengaluru, as a goalkeeper. He is the first Indian player to play for a top-division European team.
Contents
Wiki/Biography
Gurpreet Singh Sandhu was born on Monday, 3 February 1992 (age 32 years; as of 2024) in Chamkaur Sahib, Punjab . His zodiac sign is Aquarius.
Gurpreet Singh Sandhu’s childhood photo
He joined the St Stephen’s Academy at 8 and was later selected for the U16 Punjab youth football team. He made his debut for Punjab in 2006 in Haldwani. He joined the I-League club East Bengal FC as a youth player in 2009.
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 6′ 5″
Weight (approx.): 95 kg
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Black
Family & Caste
He belongs to a Jatt Sikh family.
Parents & Siblings
Gurpreet’s parents serve in the Punjab police, his father Tejinder Singh Sandhu is an SP (Superintendent of police) in the Punjab police and his mother, Harjit Kaur, is a DSP (Deputy superintendent of police). His sister Aman Sandhu is a makeup artist.
Gurpreet Singh Sandhu’s family picture, starting from the left: Gurpreet’s brother-in-law, Sister, Father, Grandfather (sitting), Mother, Gurpreet’s wife, Gurpreet (himself)
Wife & Children
Gurpreet got married to Devenish Singh in July 2022. Devenish is a resident of Sydney, Australia, and runs a YouTube channel.
Signed the most important contract of my life. Our lives, now. The thought of spending the rest of our days together ends up making everyday after this one, the happiest of our lives. This is what we dreamed of. It’s happened. Let’s live it now, Devenish. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/vekbbQcZdH
— Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (@GurpreetGK) July 8, 2022
Relationships/Affairs
Before getting married, both Gurpreet and Devenish dated each other for some time.
A photo of Gurpreet Singh Sandhu and Devenish Singh in a cafe
Signature/Autograph
Career
Club Career
East Bengal 2000-2014
Gurpreet signed a professional contract with East Bengal Football Club in 2010. He only made five appearances in the 2009-10 season and was later loaned out to Indian Arrows FC (now Pailan Arrows) for the 2010-11 season, due to insufficient game time. He returned to East Bengal FC in 2011 and began to play regularly as the first-choice goalkeeper after the 2011 Federation Cup. His first start for the East Bengal FC in the 2011-12 season resulted in a 0-1 loss to Churchill Brothers FC. His debut for AFC Cup came on 6 March 2012 against Al-Oruba, which resulted in a 0-1 loss for East Bengal FC. His last league match for East Bengal FC came on 28 April 2014 against United SC, which resulted in a 0-3 victory for East Bengal FC.
Stabæk FC 2014-2017
Gurpreet signed a 3 years contract with the Norwegian club Stabæk on 15 August 2014 . He made his senior debut for the club in a friendly match against a second-tier club Follo in a 4–1 win, on 18th January 2015. He made his league debut against IK Start FC in May 2016, which resulted in a 5-0 victory.
Gurpreet Singh Sandhu at Stabaek FC’s stadium
His Europa League debut came in the first leg of the qualifying round tie against ‘Connah’s Quay Nomads FC’ at Belle Vue in Rhyl, Wales.
India’s number one goalkeeper, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, starts for Stabaek tonight. pic.twitter.com/oz714HPayM
— Connah’s Quay Nomads FC (@the_nomads) June 30, 2016
On 3 June 2017, Gurpreet played his last match for Stabæk against Lillestrøm SK FC, which resulted in a 2-4 loss.
Bengaluru FC 2017-
Gurpreet joined Bengaluru FC in August 2017. His debut for the club came in a knockout stage match of the AFC Cup against April 25 FC. His league debut started with a clean sheet against Mumbai City FC. Gurpreet recorded seven clean sheets in his first season and helped his team to reach the finals of the Indian Super League 2017-18 edition, which they lost 3-2 to Chennaiyin FC. He signed a 5 years contract with the club, extending his tenure until May 2023. In the 2018-19 season, Gurpreet kept seven clean sheets and helped his team win the 2018-19 edition of the Indian Super League trophy.
Bengaluru FC celebrations after winning the Indian Super League title 2018-19
In the 2019-20 season, Gurpreet topped the chart with 11 clean sheets and won the Golden Glove award. He was appointed the team’s vice-captain in the 2021-22 season, after the departure of Dimas Delgado by the end of the 2020-21 season. In Feb 2023, he signed a 5-year extension with the club stretching his contract till 2028.
What’s a second five year stint with the same football club in India? Unthinkable? Unprecedented? Unorthodox? Unreal? Then again, when have we been fans of the ordinary? #2028 #GSS1 pic.twitter.com/8o5ElAkqeP
— Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (@GurpreetGK) February 3, 2023
International Career
Gurpreet’s debut for the India U19s came on 5 November 2009 against Iraq U19s in the 2010 AFC U-19 Championship qualification. His senior Indian football team’s debut match was against Turkmenistan in the 2011 AFC Asian Cup, ending in a 1-1 draw. Gurpreet’s first clean sheet came against Guam on 12 November 2015 with the score ending 1-0 on India’s side. Gurpreet was included in the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier squad against Nepal but remained on the bench in both legs. He captained the Indian national team for the match against Puerto Rico in 2016. He led the Indian football team in a group stage match of the 2022 World Cup Qualifiers against Qatar, the match ended 0-0, with Gurpreet saving 11 shots on target.
Gurpreet’s photo from the World Cup Qualifiers match against Qatar
Controversies
Gurpreet was once accused of making derogatory gestures towards the supporters of his team East Bengal FC at Kalyani Stadium during a match. In response, Gurpreet was temporarily suspended from the team and faced criticism from the home fans. However, the shot-stopper publicly apologized later for his actions on social media.
Awards
- Indian Super League Golden Glove (2018–19, 2019–20)
- Tri-Nation Series Golden Glove (2023)
Car Collection
The first car Gurpreet purchased was a Mahindra XUV 500. Later, his parents sold the car when Gurpreet moved to Norway. Now he owns two Lexus LX470s, out of which one is a six-cylinder diesel car and the latter is a V8 petrol.
Net Worth
His net worth is around Rs 30 crores as of 2024.
Favourites
- Footballer(s): Edwin van der Sar, Subrata Pal
- Destination(s): Japan, Hawaii, Egypt
Facts/Trivia
- Gurpreet declined the offer by the Norwegian club Stabaek in 2023 for a second stint at the club as he wanted to continue with Bengaluru FC in the Indian Super League.
- Gurpreet wanted to be a cricketer when he was young, he even joined the Punjab Cricket Association Academy in Mohali but later dropped the idea of pursuing cricket further despite his father’s insistence.
Gurpreet Singh Sandhu’s childhood photo while going to cricket practice
- Gurpreet endorses multiple brands like Puma, Red Bull, and MuscleBlaze.
A picture of Gurpreet Singh Sandhu drinking Redbull, a brand he endorses
- Gurpreet likes to go on cycling regularly.
A photo of Gurpreet Singh Sandhu while cycling
Categories: Sports
Source: dienchau2.edu.vn
