Bayern’s Sarpreet Singh: The new face of New Zealand football
When you think of New Zealand, football is rarely the first thing that comes to mind.
The first thing may be the nation’s prestigious rugby union team, The All Blacks. It may be the wildlife, landscapes or intriguing variety of culture on show across the country.
However, one special footballer from New Zealand has made his way to a European giant and looks set to take the footballing world by storm.
Sarpreet Singh made his first-team debut for Bayern Munich in December 2019, substituted on for Philippe Coutinho in the Bavarians’ 6-1 drubbing of Werder Bremen.
But where does Singh come from, how did he get to Germany and how does he play?
Born in Auckland on 20 February 1999 to parents of Indian origin, Singh kicked off his youth career with local side Papatoetoe in the south of his city.
He quickly moved on to Onehunga Sports and was nurtured by Japanese ex-player Hiroshi Miyazawa who later managed New Zealand’s under-20s.
Having shone with Onehunga, the spritely attacking midfielder was signed up by Wellington Phoenix; the only professional football club in the country.
‘The Nix’, as they are affectionately known, play in Australia’s top division, the A-League.
Jason Pine, a broadcaster with Newstalk ZB and Sky Sport NZ, remembers Singh’s early days fondly.
He said:
“I remember thinking there was something a bit special about him when I first saw him playing senior football.
He looked immediately at home alongside men when he was only 16, which is rare.
Growing up, he was clearly technically superior to all the other teenage kids he played with but there was always the question of how he’d go when things were a bit more physical in senior football.
Even though he’s not a big guy (in fact he’d be lucky if he was 65kg), he was able to ride challenges, use his skill to avoid too many physical confrontations and control games.”
The playmaker garnered attention from Everton during his Onehunga days and his time in Wellington reinforced why the Toffees had been keen on him.
Pine’s description of the New Zealander’s style of play explains why Europe’s elite have come sniffing on more than one occasion.
“The best way I can describe Sarpreet is that he glides.
He doesn’t seem to be that quick but he gets away from defenders with a little shimmy or change of body position.
He never looks troubled in possession, even when surrounded by opposition players.
He’s able to drift into pockets of space between the opposition midfield and back four and because he has such a good first touch, he can receive the ball, quickly face forward and play a killer pass or set himself up for a shot on goal.”
Believe it or not, it was one of the biggest clubs in the world which moved to reel in Sarpreet Singh in June 2019.
Bayern Munich finalised the deal on 1 July 2019 and Singh became part of the club’s reserve side, Bayern Munich II, competing in the third tier of German football.
On his switch to Bavaria, Singh said, in a Bundesliga exclusive:
"Bayern are, obviously, one of the world's biggest and best clubs.
Being at Wellington, it showed me what I needed to do and how I needed to work.
Having come to Bayern, things are now a lot more specific. You know what you need to do before training, after training, how you eat…everything to be a professional footballer.”
Jason Pine also highlighted how a change of lifestyle to match Bayern Munich will be another major step in the right direction for Singh, saying:
“I think just being in the Bayern Munich environment will be hugely beneficial for Sarpreet. It would be hard to imagine a better place for him to continue his football development than at one of the biggest clubs in Europe, if not the world.
He’ll be training with world-class players and have access to amazing facilities as well as the best sports science, nutritional information and football intelligence available.
I think you’ll see him develop into a player who is pushing hard for a first-team spot.”
At just 21, Sarpreet Singh is already emerging as a regular starter for New Zealand’s national team and scored his first goal for them in June 2018 against Kenya.
Jason Pine is excited to see an energetic, agile attacker rising to stardom in Europe.
He said:
“New Zealand has traditionally produced whole-hearted defenders and tireless midfielder workers but seldom have we seen an attacking player emerge from our country.”
However, Singh could be set to pave the way for other compelling forward players.
Pine added:
“There’s been a noticeable change in player development here in recent years and Sarpreet is one of the first examples of that change.
I can see him playing a starring role for New Zealand for the next decade or more.”
“Sarpreet has shown the next generation of Kiwi players what is possible.
In years past, the top leagues in Europe seemed unattainable for our best young talent, but players like Sarpreet and Ryan Thomas at PSV have been trail-blazers and allowed Kiwi kids to dream big.
The next one to go will likely be a former team-mate of Sarpreet’s named Liberato Cacace who has had a superb A-League season for Wellington Phoenix and looks every inch a player who could also make it in Europe.”
As he continues to brush shoulders with the likes of Coutinho, Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Mueller, could Singh really go on to be a Bayern Munich star and lead his national team to a higher level?
His December cameo resulted in more time training with the fully-fledged stars of the club. But does he have what it takes to become one of them?
Jason Pine said:
“I really think he does.”
Obviously, the calibre of player at Bayern will always be exceptional, but Sarpreet arrived as someone who was supposed to play for the Bayern second team.
Instead, he’s training full-time with the first team, has made his Bundesliga debut and was on the bench for their most recent game (against Fortuna Duesseldorf) alongside some top quality players.
He’s clearly impressed the coaching staff at Bayern, because they’re not the type of club to give chances like that to players who they don’t rate.
He’ll get chances and provided he takes them, I think he’s certainly got what it takes to be a fixture in their side.”
The next decade could certainly be an exciting one with Sarpreet Singh eager to break through at the Allianz Arena and more New Zealand youngsters keen to follow his path to Europe.
Article by: George Hartley (@JournoGeorge)
Thumbnail by: Samuel Slaney
Images interpreted from: Getty Images, Bayern Munich & Wellington Phoenix
