In July 2019, Bayern Munich signed the young midfielder to a 3-year contract. The transfer made headlines globally as Sarpreet became the first player of Indian descent to sign for a Bundesliga outfit
Published: June 16, 2026, 4:20 PM IST
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Sarpreet Singh (front) of New Zealand vies with Saeid Ezatolahi of Iran during the group G match between Iran and New Zealand at the 2026 FIFA World Cup at Los Angeles Stadium in Los Angeles, the United States, June 15, 2026. (Photo: Xinhua via IANS)
One thing that has really been a talking point in the on-going FIFA World Cup 2026 is the presences of several Indian origin players in other foreign national teams. Just a couple of days ago, Australia’s Nishan Velupillay became the first player to feature in this edition and yesterday New Zealand’s Sarpreet Singh became the 2nd.
Sarpreet Singh played a key role in New Zealand’s 2-2 draw against Asian giants Iran at the Los Angeles Stadium in Inglewood. The All Whites returned to the quadrennial competition after 16 years with their previous appearance coming in the 2010 edition at South Africa.
On their first FIFA World Cup outing in more than a decade, New Zealand blew their lead twice as Elijah Just’s 7th and 55th minute strikes were cancelled by Ramin Rezaeian and Mohammad Mohebi’s 32nd and 64th minute goals.
Despite all the drama happening in the background, Iran produced an inspirational performance and salvaged a crucial point in Group G.
Sarpreet Singh’s background in brief
Other than team Melli’s impressive turnaround, what caught everyone’s eyes was New Zealand’s Indian origin number 10 Sarpreet Singh but what’s his connection and background with India? Let’s find out.
Sarpreet was born and raised in Auckland, New Zealand but his family roots are from North India’s Punjab. His father hails from Jalandhar while his mother Sarabjit Kaur comes from the village of Dhada Khurd in Hoshiarpur.
His parents migrated to New Zealand nearly 35 years ago and ran a local grocery store in Auckland. Growing up in a traditional Punjabi household, Sarpreet spent his childhood surrounded by a large extended family of uncles, aunts, and cousins by playing backyard cricket and listening to Punjabi music.
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It was Sarpreet’s mother who recognized his unique athletic talent early on. She made immense sacrifices to get him to individual coaching sessions and academies from the age of seven.
That dedication paid off rapidly. After rising through the ranks at local clubs and starring for Australian League side Wellington Phoenix, Sarpreet Singh’s exceptional creativity caught the eyes of European scouts.
In July 2019, Bayern Munich signed the young midfielder to a 3-year contract. The transfer made headlines globally as Sarpreet became the first player of Indian descent to sign for a Bundesliga outfit and during hist stay, the attacking midfielder won the European treble featuring the UEFA Champions League, the German top-flight and DFB Pokal Cup.
He was eventually called up to the New Zealand national team where he debuted and quickly established himself as one of their key players. Sarpreet made his senior international debut as a 2nd-half substitute during a friendly against Canada on March 24, 2018.
Interestingly, his first international goal came on Indian soil later that year. Playing in the 2018 Intercontinental Cup in Mumbai, he opened his international account by scoring against Kenya. He continued to haunt the host nation in the next match, providing both assists as New Zealand upset India with a 2-1 victory.
The 27-year-old has 3 goals in 29 caps for the All Whites.
