New Delhi: New Zealand midfielder Sarpreet Singh created history by becoming the first player of Indian origin. FIFA World Cup Match Coach Darren Bazley trusted him until he was substituted in the 90th minute. New Zealand next face Egypt on June 21 in Vancouver.
Who is Sarpreet Singh?
Born to Punjabi parents in Auckland, the 27-year-old was included in the starting XI for New Zealand’s Group G clash against Iran in Los Angeles. Wearing the number 10 jersey, he played almost the entire game and scored three tries as the match ended in a 2–2 draw.Sarpreet has previously played for India during the 2018 Intercontinental Cup in Mumbai, where he Sunil Chhetri And also scored against Kenya. He also provided two assists in New Zealand’s win over India, although the hosts went on to win the title.In 2019, Sarpreet became the first player of Indian origin to feature in Germany’s top division when he made his debut for Bayern Munich.Strong performances with the reserve side helped earn him a first-team opportunity under Hansi Flick, and he later became part of Bayern’s Bundesliga-winning squad. After spells in Portugal and Serbia, he returned to New Zealand this year and recovered from injury to make the country’s 26-man World Cup squad.Prior to this tournament, France midfielder Vikash Dhuraso was the only Indian-origin player to play in the World Cup as a short substitute in 2006.
More Indian origin players are in focus.
Three other players of Indian heritage are part of the World Cup squad this year, Australia’s Nishan Veluple, DR Congo’s Samuel Mutusamy and Qatar’s Tahseen Mohammad Jamshed. Nishan Velopel came on as a substitute in Australia’s historic 2-1 win over Turkey. Tahseen was not used in Qatar’s 1-1 draw with Switzerland, while Moatasemi could play against Portugal.Under FIFA rules, a player can represent a country if a parent or grandparent was born there and the player holds a passport from that country.
