Small memory, big heart

At Every Stage In His Career, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu’s Been Thrown Into The Fire; Handed Opportunities, And Responsibilities That Seemed Outside His Comfort Zone. It’s What The Blues’ Shot-stopper Credits As Having Made Him The Player And Person He Is…

It was only by chance that Gurpreet Singh Sandhu found himself guarding the posts for Chandigarh at the All-India National Football tournament. He’s six-foot six inches and is India’s No. 1 goalkeeper, but Gurpreet concedes something had to align in the skies above him to get him to where he is today.

“To be honest, I wasn’t the best goalkeeper growing up. It was maybe the stars that wanted me to represent the clubs I have, and my country. When I was selected to play for Chandigarh, it was only because nobody else was available. I wasn’t the number one choice. But someone was injured and someone else had school, so they took me along and I got to play state level football. It was the beginning of something special.”

Have represented his State and spotted by National Team scouts, Gurpreet was soon wearing the colours of the Indian National team. Yet again, it was someone else’s absence that brought him to the limelight. “When I made the U16 National Team, Harshad Meher was the first-choice goalkeeper. The day before we were to fly out to Saudi Arabia for the AFC U16 Group Stage matches, he injured his knee and I was asked to play those games. We went unbeaten in our group, and I conceded only one goal. That’s how it started for me. I had to do well, because it was do or die, quite literally,” Gurpreet admits.

From playing for the National team to then being signed by East Bengal aged just 18 and guarding the posts in a stadium that was packed to the brim, life went by fast for young Gurpreet. While he says he savoured every moment, and looks back on his time with the Red and Golds with great fondness, Saturday’s fixture at the Fatorda is just another on the schedule for him.

“Playing at such a high level at such a young age was very important for my career. I was eighteen years old when I played my first Calcutta derby, and that was in front of a hundred-thousand people. That’s where I made the decisions that a young player makes on the pitch. Having that in my arsenal of experience helped me a lot to transition into the player I am today. I’ll admit there was a bit of emotion the first time that we played East Bengal; it was actually a friendly game at the Kanteerava. But Bengaluru FC is my family now and that doesn’t change no matter who we face anymore.”

Gurpreet concedes that while his position on the pitch does come with more brickbats than bouquets, it is the one he signed up for and one that he relishes every single day.

“It’s true that most of the time, goalkeeping is a thankless job. But it’s the one I chose. Humans aren’t perfect, but goalkeepers are required to be. There have been games where I’ve felt I was perfect, but it simply wasn’t enough. The truth is that anyone else on the pitch can make a mistake and have people around to cover up for them, but if I make a mistake on the line, it’s over. It’s something that drains you mentally, but I’ve always remembered something that Tanmay Basu – my coach with the national youth teams told me when I was younger. He said he liked me because I had a short memory, and goalkeepers needed that. In our position, we have to take it on the chin, and head to training next day to get better.”

Gurpreet has had his fair share of off-the-pitch moments, both good and bad, and the 28-year-old says he believes every experience is one that was necessary in his development, as a player and as a person. “Sometimes the things that happen off the pitch make you ruthless on it. I think men are already asked to bottle their emotions so much that it ends up becoming unhealthy. I sometimes did things that I regret, but that’s human nature. With time and age, I have learned of better coping mechanisms. Earlier, I’d come back from a bad game and I wouldn’t sleep or watch the game. Now I process it differently. I don’t let it get to me anymore because I have the responsibility of going out there and doing it again.”

While Gurpreet the footballer doesn’t shy away from his duties on the pitch, Gurpreet the person knows that his role as an athlete brings with it a level of responsibility that few are privileged to have. The 2019 Arjuna Award winner says that he wants to affect change in other people’s lives, sometimes even those who do not know him as being a footballer.

“The experiences I’ve had, the people in my life, the places I have been and where I come from have all played a part in making me who I am. There is a need for people to go out there and use the position that they are in, as athletes or personalities, to affect good change. I hope there are people who see my thoughts and want to stop using plastic or read more about the environment or understand feminism or gender equality because these are very important things. It was gradual for me, but when I really stood up and started speaking about these things on social media was when I saw my fiancé doing it. The way people would get empowered just by reading her stories or her thoughts was very enlightening for me. It doesn’t matter how many people you affect, what matters is that you are relentless in your pursuit.”