Sarpreet Singh (born 20 February 1999) is a New Zealand professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

who plays as an

attacking midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

for club

Jahn Regensburg Sport- und Schwimmverein Jahn Regensburg e. V., commonly known as SSV Jahn Regensburg, Jahn Regensburg, SSV Jahn or simply Jahn is a German football club based in Regensburg, Bavaria. The club is based on a gymnastics club founded in 1886 a ...

, on loan from

Bayern Munich II FC Bayern Munich II (''FC Bayern Munich Amateure'' until 2005) are the reserve team of German association football club FC Bayern Munich, they currently play in the Regionalliga Bayern. In 2010–11 they played in the 3. Liga, having qualified ...

. He also represents the New Zealand national team. Born in New Zealand to Indian parents, Singh played for

Onehunga Sports Onehunga Sports Football Club is a youth football club based in Onehunga, New Zealand. A senior side formerly competed in the Lotto Sport Italia NRFL Premier, last appearing in the competition in 2019. The club is widely regarded within New Zea ...

in his youth before signing for Wellington Phoenix Academy in 2015, then making his competitive senior debut for the

Wellington Phoenix Wellington Phoenix Football Club is a professional association football club based in Wellington, New Zealand. It competes in the Australian A-League, under licence from Football Federation Australia. Phoenix entered the competition in the ...

in 2016. He spent another three seasons with the club becoming a regular starter and earned his first international call up for

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

in 2018 to play at the Intercontinental Cup, where he scored his first international goal. After impressive performances with the

New Zealand national under-20 football team The New Zealand men's national under-20 football team, more commonly known as the Junior All Whites, is controlled by New Zealand Football and represents New Zealand in international Under 20 or youth football competitions. The 25,000 capacity ...

at the

2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup The 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup was the 22nd edition of the FIFA U-20 World Cup, the biennial international men's youth football championship contested by the under-20 national teams of the member associations of FIFA, since its inception in 1977 ...

, Singh signed a three-year deal with Bayern Munich. Singh's first appearance for the senior team was in a friendly against Arsenal at the

2019 International Champions Cup The 2019 International Champions Cup was the seventh edition of the International Champions Cup (ICC), a series of association football friendly matches. The competition was won by Portuguese club Benfica. Teams A total of 12 teams participate ...

Club career

Early career

Born in

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about ...

, New Zealand, Singh grew up playing for local club

under the tutelage of long-term mentor

Hiroshi Miyazawa was the governor of Hiroshima Prefecture from 1973 to 1981 and justice minister from 1995 to 1996. Biography Miyazawa was born in 1921. He was the younger brother of Kiichi Miyazawa. He was elected as governor of Hiroshima in December 1973 fo ...

. At the age of ten, Singh represented Auckland at the Australian National Futsal Championships, winning the most valuable player award and attracting interest from

Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...

side Everton.

Wellington Phoenix

Singh joined the Wellington Phoenix Academy in early 2015 after impressing then-Phoenix coach

Ernie Merrick Ernest Merrick OAM (born 15 January 1953) is a Scottish-Australian coach, who last managed A-League soccer club Newcastle Jets. He was released on 6 January 2020. He was the former head coach of the Hong Kong national football team and A-Leagu ...

, while playing for the New Zealand under-17 side at the

OFC U-17 Championship The OFC U-16 Championship is a biennial football tournament for players under the age of 16. The tournament decides the only two qualification spots for the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) and its representatives at the FIFA U-17 World Cup, w ...

. He was one of two players to receive a footballing scholarship to Scots College from

international

Winston Reid Winston Wiremu Reid (born 3 July 1988) is a New Zealand professional footballer who last played as a defender for club West Ham United. He captained the New Zealand national team. He has also played for Midtjylland with loan periods at Sport ...

. Singh began his senior footballing career later that year, being placed into Wellington's

reserve team In sports, a reserve team is a team composed of players under contract to a club but who do not normally play in matches for the first team. Reserve teams often include back-up players from the first team, young players who need playing time to i ...

in the New Zealand Football Championship at the age of 16. Singh made twelve appearances that season, with his season being marked by a call-up to the senior Wellington Phoenix squad for an A-League match against Perth Glory on 7 February 2016, where he remained an unused substitute. A year later, following much individual success for the reserves, Singh made his competitive debut in the A-League as a substitute in a 1–5 loss to Melbourne City on 18 February 2017. On 1 June 2017, Singh signed his first senior contract, penning a three-year deal with

. Singh gained a consistent role in the Wellington Phoenix first team midway through the 2017–18 A-League season, making a series of substitute appearances under Darije Kalezić. Following a minor injury to Goran Paracki, Singh was named in the starting lineup for the first time on 17 February 2018 against Perth Glory. He marked his starting debut for the club with a long-range goal within three minutes in a 2–1 victory. Following this performance, Singh was promised a prolonged run in the starting eleven by Kalezić, and became a regular starter for the club; after two goals on the final matchday against Melbourne City, Singh finished the season as the second-highest goalscorer at the club behind

Andrija Kaluđerović Andrija Kaluđerović (; born 5 July 1987) is a Serbian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Grafičar Beograd. Club career On 13 December 2003, aged 16, Kaluđerović made his senior debut for OFK Beograd under manager Stevica ...

, despite only playing eleven games. Singh carried his form into the 2018–19 season, becoming an undisputed starter under new coach

Mark Rudan Marko Ante "Mark" Rudan (born 27 August 1975) is an Australian soccer manager and former player. He is currently the head coach for A-League Men club Western Sydney Wanderers. Rudan was one of the inaugural inductees into the Sydney FC Hall o ...

playing 26 games, scoring five goals and registering a team-high eight assists. Following a breakout performance in a 4–1 win over

Brisbane Roar Brisbane Roar Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Brisbane, Queensland and has won the domestic title on three occasions, as well as holding the longest unbeaten record of 36 league matches without defeat. Brisba ...

on 22 December 2018, in which Singh scored from a free kick and assisted a David Williams goal, he was described by critic

Mark Bosnich Mark John Bosnich (born 13 January 1972) is an Australian former professional footballer, who played as a goalkeeper, and sports pundit. He played in England for Premier League clubs Aston Villa, Manchester United and Chelsea. He also played in ...

as "the best player in the A-League right now at this moment in time".

Bayern Munich

After impressing Bayern scouts while playing for

at the

, it was announced on 1 July 2019 Singh had signed a three-year deal with Bayern Munich for an undisclosed fee, believed to be between the figures of NZD $750,000 and $1,000,000. He was immediately assigned to their reserve team,

, who play in the

3. Liga The 3. Liga is a professional association football league and the third division in Germany. In the German football league system, it is positioned between the 2. Bundesliga and the fourth-tier Regionalliga. The modern 3. Liga was formed for th ...

. Singh made his friendly debut for the reserve side on 6 July 2019, assisting the opening goal as Bayern Munich II overcame

FC Liefering FC Liefering GmbH is an Austrian association football club, originally from Liefering, a section of Salzburg Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label=Austro-Bavarian) is the fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, ...

2–1. Singh made an appearance for the senior team eleven days later, playing the second half in a 2–1 friendly defeat to Arsenal in the

, and again in the other two tournament games against Real Madrid and

AC Milan Associazione Calcio Milan (), commonly referred to as AC Milan or simply Milan, is a professional football club in Milan, Italy, founded in 1899. The club has spent its entire history, with the exception of the 1980–81 and 1982–83 seaso ...

. Singh started his first game for Bayern Munich on 31 July, playing the full match and scoring in a penalty shoot-out loss to

Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English football. The team has playe ...

in the 2019 Audi Cup final. Singh's performance in the pre-season impressed Bayern Munich's coach

Niko Kovač Niko Kovač (; born 15 October 1971) is a Croatian professional football coach and former player. He is currently the manager of Bundesliga club VFL Wolfsburg. Kovač was the long-standing captain of the Croatia national team until his retire ...

; on 3 August, he was called up for a 2–0 loss against

Borussia Dortmund Ballspielverein Borussia 09 e. V. Dortmund, commonly known as Borussia Dortmund (), BVB (), or simply Dortmund (), is a German professional sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is best known for its men's professional fo ...

in the DFL Supercup, but was an unused substitute. Singh scored his first goal for Bayern Munich II against

Unterhaching Unterhaching (; Central Bavarian: ''Haching'') is the second largest municipality in the district of Munich in Bavaria, Germany, located to the south of Munich city centre and easily accessible via two federal motorways, Bundesautobahn 8 and Bunde ...

in a 1–2 loss. After impressing in the reserves with five goals and four assists, Singh was promoted to train with the first team until the end of the winter break by interim coach

Hansi Flick Hans-Dieter "Hansi" Flick (born 24 February 1965) is a German professional football coach and former player who is the manager of the Germany national team. From August 2006 to July 2014, he was the assistant coach of Germany under manager Joac ...

. He subsequently made his

Bundesliga The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of the German football league system, the Bundesliga is Germany's primary footba ...

debut for the senior team on 14 December 2019, coming on as a substitute for

Philippe Coutinho Philippe Coutinho Correia (born 12 June 1992) is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or winger for Premier League club Aston Villa and the Brazil national team. He is known for his combination of vision, ...

in a 6–1 win over

Werder Bremen Sportverein Werder Bremen von 1899 e. V. (), commonly known as Werder Bremen (), Werder or simply Bremen, is a German professional sports club based in Bremen, Free Hanseatic City of Bremen. Founded on 4 February 1899, they are best known for the ...

. Singh became the first New Zealander to play in the Bundesliga since Oceania Footballer of the Century

Wynton Rufer Wynton Alan Whai Rufer (born 29 December 1962) is a New Zealand retired professional footballer who played as a striker. He spent more than a decade of his professional career in Switzerland and Germany, achieving his greatest success at Werd ...

, who previously played for Werder Bremen. Singh made his first start for Bayern Munich on 20 June 2020 against

SC Freiburg Sport-Club Freiburg e.V., commonly known as SC Freiburg () or just Freiburg, is a German football club, based in the city of Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden-Württemberg. It plays in the Bundesliga, having been promoted as champions from the 2. Bund ...

after the club had secured the Bundesliga title.

1. FC Nürnberg (loan)

On 7 August 2020, Singh joined

2. Bundesliga The 2. Bundesliga ( ) is the second division of professional football in Germany. It was implemented 11 years after the founding of the Fußball-Bundesliga as the new second division for professional football. The 2. Bundesliga is ranked below ...

side 1. FC Nürnberg on a season-long loan. Singh had his first start for the club, playing 63 minutes for the team in their 0–3 lost to

RB Leipzig RasenBallsport Leipzig e.V. (), commonly known as RB Leipzig, and colloquially referred to as Red Bull Leipzig, is a German professional football club based in Leipzig, Saxony. The club was founded in 2009 by the initiative of the company Red Bul ...

in the

DFB-Pokal The DFB-Pokal ( is a German knockout football cup competition held annually by the German Football Association (DFB). Sixty-four teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundesliga and the 2. Bundesliga. It is considered ...

. He made his first league start for the club against

on 19 September 2020. After playing a dozen games for Nürnberg of which he started six times, Singh cut his loan short and returned to Bayern Munich.

Jahn Regensburg (loan)

On 6 July 2021, Singh joined

side SSV Jahn Regensburg on a season-long loan. The loan was renewed for the 2022–23 season.

International career

Singh's first international appearances for New Zealand came at under-17 level, being named to the 20-man squad for the

2015 OFC U-17 Championship The 2015 OFC U-17 Championship was the 16th edition of the biennial international youth football tournament organized by the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) for players aged 17 and below. The tournament was held in American Samoa and Samoa ...

. Singh competed for

at the

2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup The 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup was the 21st edition of the FIFA U-20 World Cup, the biennial international men's youth football championship contested by the under-20 national teams of the member associations of FIFA, since its inception in 1977 ...

, being knocked out by the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

in the round of 16. Singh also appeared for New Zealand in the

, being knocked out by Colombia in the round of 16 via penalty shootout following a 1–1 draw after extra time. Singh earned his first senior national team call-up for a friendly match against

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

on 24 March in

Murcia Murcia (, , ) is a city in south-eastern Spain, the capital and most populous city of the autonomous community of the Region of Murcia, and the seventh largest city in the country. It has a population of 460,349 inhabitants in 2021 (about one ...

. He was substituted on in the second half of a 1–0 loss. Sarpreet scored his first goal for

on 2 June 2018, against Kenya in the 2018 Intercontinental Cup. In the same tournament, he provided both assists as his team defeated

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

2–1.

Style of play

Solely appearing as an

for the Wellington Phoenix but often deployed as a

deep-lying playmaker A midfielder is an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As #Cent ...

or winger for Bayern Munich II, the left-footed Singh acted as primary playmaker for the Phoenix under

during the 2018–19 A-League season. With a nimble gait and quick turn of pace, alongside exceptional vision and creativity for his age, Singh has earned comparisons to German attacking midfielder Mesut Özil.

Personal life

Singh was born in Auckland and is of

Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...

descent. While at Bayern, Singh has been taking German lessons twice a week.

Career statistics

Club

International goals

:''Scores and results list New Zealand's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Singh goal''.

Honours

Bayern Munich *

: 2019–20 *

: 2019–20 Bayern Munich II *

: 2019–20 New Zealand U17 *

: 2015 New Zealand U20 *

OFC U-20 Championship The OFC U-19 Championship is a tournament held once every two years to decide the under-19 champions of Oceania and also decides who will represent Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) at the biennial FIFA U-20 World Cup. Between 1974 and 2012, ...

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Singh, Sarpreet 1999 births Living people New Zealand sportspeople of Indian descent New Zealand people of Punjabi descent New Zealand association footballers Association football midfielders Wellington Phoenix FC players FC Bayern Munich footballers FC Bayern Munich II players 1. FC Nürnberg players SSV Jahn Regensburg players A-League Men players Bundesliga players 3. Liga players 2. Bundesliga players New Zealand international footballers New Zealand expatriate association footballers New Zealand expatriate sportspeople in Germany Expatriate footballers in Germany New Zealand under-20 international footballers