Gurpreet Singh Sandhu: Being a young keeper, I idolized Subrata Paul

The lanky shot-stopper also talked about his early days and his stint in Europe.

On Monday, Indian football team goalkeeper and Bengaluru FC superstar Gurpreet Singh Sandhu engaged in a two-hour long conversation with popular commentator Anant Tyagi, as part of Indian Super League (ISL)'s "Let's Football Live" Instagram series. Over the course of the session, Gurpreet opened up on a host of topics including his stint in Europe, captain Sunil Chhetri, his routine during the ongoing lockdown and so on.

Over the past few weeks, Gurpreet has been very active on social media, posting pictures and videos of his daily training sessions with Bengaluru FC teammate Erik Paartalu in Australia. Hence, it was quite natural for the first question to be about these sessions. "It is very easy to train with Erik Paartalu because we are in the same country and same city (Sydney) right now. He knows the way around here, is aware of which ground is free and which pitches we can train on," he said.

He added, "So, we get together around three or four times every week and conduct these sessions. I may have not worked this hard even back home in India. Erik has been training a lot on curlers, so do not be surprised if he scores some of them next season!"

The lanky shot-stopper then switched gears a bit and took us through his earliest days as a footballer. He said that he did not find football - rather, it was football that found him. "Growing up, I never watched football. I was born in a cricket-loving family, so that was the only sport that we watched. My dad wanted to be a cricketer too, but his father never allowed him to take that path. His love for sports was passed on to me."

"Once at school, I won a 100m race and my physical education teachers were impressed. Hence, I got recruited to their football academy and that's how I started," Gurpreet explained. "Regarding my position, I never had a choice," he went on. "I have always been the goalkeeper just because of my frame. I was also not good with the ball at my feet, so there was never really a question about which part of the field I should play in."

Gurpreet Singh Sandhu also revealed that veteran goalkeeper Subrata Paul, who was signed by Hyderabad FC earlier this week, played a major role in his decision to take goalkeeping seriously, having not watched the domestic leagues with any seriousness before then. "When I was playing football I didn't know much about the structure of Indian football. I was fortunate to get a call from India U16s and there in the camp in Goa I started watching the I-League. That's when I decided to become a serious footballer watching Subrata Paul play," he said.

"Subrata Paul was the best in the country. He was great in one-on-one situations. Being a young keeper I idolized him and wanted to replace him. I wanted to wear that India jersey and get out on the pitch."

As we all know, playing for East Bengal gave the 28-year-old his much-needed first big break and that led to better things, as former English goalkeeper John Burridge arranged a trial for him with Wigan Athletic, who used to play in the Premier League. However, the move did not materialize for Gurpreet.

"In 2010-11, John Burridge came to one of the East Bengal sessions. He got excited after watching me play. After the session, he told me, 'you are wasting your time here. You should go outside and play.' That was the first time I thought about going out. Because of his help, I got a good 7-day trial with Wigan Athletic. I got to understand the level of the Premier League. If I was a free agent, I could have signed for them. But, due to contractual obligations I could not sign," he revealed.

He further added, "I did not want to sign an extension with East Bengal. Then I got an opportunity in Norway (with Stabaek Fotball). They were looking for a good prospect. I went to Norway without expectations. Then I started training with them and a 7-day trial turned into a three-year contract."

Initially, the 6'6'' tall goalkeeper found himself restricted to the bench, but by the end of his first season he had become a regular in their starting XI. Eventually, he also became the first Indian to play in a UEFA Europa League game when he started for Stabaek in a qualifying fixture.

"I didn't want to leave, but I had to. I wasn't getting game-time under the new coach. Then the contract expired. When you know that the coach is not expecting much from you it becomes difficult. My first intention was to stay in Europe and I tried my best. I had offers, but they were from lower levels," he said.

"I managed to talk to a club in the Portugal first division. They told me to join and spend one season on loan and then join back. I accepted the offer. I found the loan option in the ISL with Bengaluru FC also. We didn't hear from the Portugal club even on the transfer deadline day and that's when I decided to stay back with Bengaluru."

Gurpreet Singh Sandhu also talked about his captain in both the national team and at Bengaluru FC, Sunil Chhetri. "He can play for six-seven more years easily. He is getting younger day-by-day," he said, after which he proceeded to lavish praise on his current club.

"Bengaluru FC are a very ambitious club. We almost won the ISL in 2019-20 as well, but one night (the semi-final loss against ATK) changed it all. That was one of the worst nights at the Kanteerava. I was also used to playing only in a league format in Norway and mentally, I was still in that league stage where things got over once you top the standings after the league. The shift was different for me to understand, the custodian explained.

"If you slip there's always going to be someone behind you. Bengaluru did a lot in the past 6-7 years. This season, a slip-up cost us a trophy. ATK were one of the most difficult sides to play. The way they defend made it more difficult. We had to take our chances. We did pretty well In the first leg. In the second leg, it was their quality that shone through. They deserved that result. We gave them the opportunity to be the better team."

The Punjab-born star also revealed that Miku is the best player he has faced on Indian soil. He said that apart from Bengaluru FC, he would like to play for either ATK or Kerala Blasters sometime in the future and also added that to be successful in Europe, one must start training there in the formative years.

"I think any player who goes at 15-16-years-old to Europe can make it. You just have to work hard. You are training with better players, in better weather. It's not about playing, but the journey is very important. That's what will make you a better player," Gurpreet Singh Sandhu opined.

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