Gurpreet is only the fifth Indian to play professionally in Europe after Mohammed Salim, Baichung Bhutia, Sunil Chhetri and Subrata Pal.
Regarding the captainship, Gurpreet made the announcement on Twitter saying it was not about awards, but more about achievements.
Tweet by Gurpreet Sandhu Source: Supplied
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.”
Gurpreet Sandhu Source: Supplied
According to Sportkeeda, 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.
Early Life (source Wikipedia)
Gurpreet was born on 3 February 1992 in Mohali, Punjab, India, part of the Chandigarh tri-city. Gurpreet took up the game of football at the age of 8 and joined the St. Stephen's Academy in 2000. After good performances at the St. Stephen's Academy, Gurpreet was selected for his state youth team, the Punjab U16s. He made his youth state level debut in 2006 in Haldwani.He stayed at St. Stephen's Academy till 2009 when he joined I-League side East Bengal as a youth player and spend the rest of 2009 playing for the Kolkata-based teams' youth team.
A school memory from Chandigarh Source: Photo Suppled
Career
East Bengal
In 2010, Gurpreet officially signed a professional contract with East Bengal and made five appearances for East Bengal before the end of the 2009-10 season. For the 2010–11 season, Gurpreet was loaned out to Pailan Arrows, seeking regular game time but ended the season with no caps for Indian Arrows, as they were called then. He started the 2011-12 season as the second choice goalkeeper for East Bengal during the 2011 Federation Cup, but after the Federation Cup, Gurpreet took over as the first choice 'keeper for East Bengal's I-League campaign.
Gurpreet with his Smartfish representation Source: Photo Suppled
Stabæk
Sandhu signed for Norwegian club Stabæk on 15 August 2014. On 18 January 2015, he made his senior debut for the club in a friendly match against second-tier side Follo in a 4-1 win. Gurpreet created history by becoming the first Indian player to play a professional senior game for a top division football club in Europe when he started, and kept a clean sheet in a 6-0 win for his club against Runar on 22 April 2015 in a Norwegian Cup game.
International
Gurpreet made his debut for the India U19s against the Iraq U19s in the 2010 AFC U-19 Championship qualification on 5 November 2009.
He was then surprisingly called up to the senior Indian team squad of 23 for the 2011 AFC Asian Cup. He made his debut against Turkmenistan in a 1–1 draw. Gurpreet made his second appearance for the senior team against Iran in a 2018 World Cup qualifier at Bangalore, starting in a 0-3 defeat. He made his next appearance against Turkmenistan in a 2-1 loss on the 8th of October. He also kept a clean-sheet against Guam on November 12, 2015, a game that ended 1-0. He kept his second clean sheet vs Sri Lanka in a 2-0 win in the SAFF Suzuki cup 2015.
Gurpreet with his new jersey Source: Supplied
