Press Trust of India
New Delhi, May 30: National football team goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu has achieved a historic feat as he became the first Indian to feature in a top-tier league match in Europe by turning out for his Norwegian side Stabaek FC.
The 24-year-old Indian kept a clean sheet in his first Tippeligaen (Norwegian Premier League) start for Stabaek FC, helping them claim a dominant 5-0 triumph over IK Start in an away league match played Sunday night.
Sandhu, who signed for Stabaek FC in 2014, had not played in the Tippeligaen till Sunday though he featured in five matches in the Norwegian Cup. He has thus far played second fiddle to Ivorian goalkeeper Sayouba Mande who is the first choice Stabaek FC goalkeeper.
The Punjab lad took to Twitter to share his excitement after the match. “Proud to become the first Indian ever to start in a Top Division League game in Europe!!!!,” Sandhu tweeted. “Happy to have finished on a good note.”
In many parts of Europe, league matches are over by this time of the year but the Norwegian top-tier league is played from March to November due to climatic reasons.
Bengal footballer Mohammed Salim played for Scottish top-tier side Celtic FC in 1936, but most probably he did not feature in the premier division. Records about Salim’s two-month sojourn in Scotland are sketchy.
After independence, former captain Baichung Bhutia played for English third division side Bury FC in 1999-2000 and current national skipper Sunil Chhetri played for the ‘B’ team of Sporting Lisbon in 2012.