Gurpreet Singh Sandhu Becomes 1st Indian to Play for Top-Flight European Club

There are over 1 billion people in India, so it is amazing to think nobody from the country had ever played a competitive match for a top-flight European club before Wednesday night.

That stat finally changed in Norway when goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu lined up for Stabaek in the Norwegian Cup against third-tier club Runar. 

Gurpreet kept a clean sheet in a routine 6-0 victory, but his appearance will forever make the match noteworthy. 

Indian players have come close to appearing in recent years, but as noted by The Indian Express, they never quite made it:

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While Mohammad Salim, Baichung Bhutia and Sunil Chhetri have plied trade in Europe, none could manage appearance in the first division in Europe. While Bhutia played competitive matches for Bury FC in the second division, Salim played just friendly matches for Celtic and Chhetri could never make the cut for Sporting Lisbon ‘B’ during his brief stay in Portugal.

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Gurpreet showed his potential with a quality save during pre-season. 

[The Indian Express]