Gurpreet Sandhu becomes first Indian to captain a European side
Gurpreet Singh Sandhu has become the first-ever Indian to captain a European side, achieving the feat on Monday, after leading the reserve team of Norwegian club Stabæk against FC Senja. This could prove to be a giant step in his quest towards sealing a place in Stabæk's first-team squad.
This was the first time an Indian has sported the armband of any foreign club, at any level of professional football, and Gurpreet expressed his excitement with a post on his social media page.
Proud to become the first Indian to captain a European team, it's not about awards it's about achievements. #LeavingNoStoneUnturned
— Gurpreet Singh (@GurpreetGK) April 26, 2016
Gurpreet marked his first stint as a captain with a cleansheet in a 2-0 win against Senja. Speaking to the TOI after the win, the Indian keeper said he’s now ready for the first team call-up. "I am glad the management showed faith in me. I led a bunch of mostly under-20 boys and we played well on the night. Keeping a clean sheet always feels nice. I just want to keep doing the right things and hope for the best. As I have said before, I am ready for a first team call-up,” said the Indian international.
Gurpreet will look to make the cut for the Europa League qualifiers, after Stabæk finished third in the Norwegian League and will now need to go through the qualifiers to enter the main draw of the competition.
The young keeper has represented India at different levels and has played for East Bengal and Pailan Arrows in the I-league before making his move to Norway.