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Indian Football Team of the Year 2020 — Goalkeeper: Bengaluru FC’s Gurpreet Singh Sandhu
The Bridge takes a look at the year gone by and pick the Indian Football Team of the Year 2020. First up, is the goalkeeper of the team.
The year 2020 has had its hits and misses. For Indian football as well, there were several ups and downs, both on the international as well as the domestic front.
We, at The Bridge, take a look at the year gone by and pick the Indian Football Team of the Year 2020. First up, is the goalkeeper of the team — none other than Bengaluru FC’s Gurpreet Singh Sandhu.
The 28-year-old has not been his usual spectacular self in this season of the Indian Super League (ISL) and some will argue that Amrinder Singh or Arindam Bhattacharya should be given the not. However, Gurpreet’s heroics for the national team and his performances for Bengaluru FC last season make him our Goalkeeper of the Year.
Time and again, Gurpreet has provided stoic performances between the sticks, sometimes to save his team from the precipice of defeat. His ‘superman’ display in the Qatar match was what helped India come away with a draw against the reigning Asian champions — that too in Qatar’s own backyard.
Leading the team in the absence of Sunil Chhetri, out injured, Gurpreet maintained a clean sheet in a calm, technical manner. He denied the Qatar attackers multiple times, pulling off several exceptional saves at crucial junctures.
That day Qatar’s attackers were ripping through the midfield. In all they took 27 shots, off which 11 Gurpreet saved.
https://twitter.com/GurpreetGK/status/1335129768547688448
For Bengaluru FC, the 6ft 6in goalie has put up some impressive numbers. In the 2019-20 season, Gurpreet conceded just 14 goals in 19 matches, keeping 11 clean sheets. True, this season, he and Carles Cuadrat’s men have struggled a bit defensively but still Gurpreet has a shot save percentage of 68% which was a little lower than last season’s 77.77% but still commendable.
Looking away from the numbers, his other qualities like leadership, both on and off the pitch, are harder to quantify but are no less vital. Having played in Europe, he has a beacon of experience and is a role model for several of the youngsters in his team. He shows up when it matters and never shies down from a challenge.
What more do you need from your No. 1?
