How Singh Earned His Move to Bayern
Since his deal was announced on the first of July 2019, Sarpreet Singh’s move to European powerhouse Bayern Munich has been a hot topic amongst New Zealand football journalism. His meteoric rise seems to signal a new age for New Zealand football, the reputation of the Phoenix, and for the A-League as a whole .
Born in Auckland in 1999, Singh’s ability was apparent from a young age, winning the Best Player award in the Australian National Futsal Championships in 2010, leading to Everton to ask for a video trial of the then 10 year old . He did stay in New Zealand, however, signing his first professional contract with the Phoenix on June 2017.
He was first selected on the bench on the 20th of January 2018, and first entered the A-League field the next week in a 1-0 loss to Adelaide United. The next month he made his first start against the Perth Glory, and immediately caught fans’ attention with a long range screamer in only the third minute (highlights). Following that game, he was rewarded with an short berth in the starting XI, and scored the leveller two games later in a 4-1 loss to the Western Sydney Wanderers. He eventually regained his starting position, and rewarded coach Darije Kalezic by scoring both of his team’s goals in a 2-1 win against third placed Melbourne City FC in the final game of league play.
Singh began 2018-19 fluctuating in and out of the starting XI, but cemented his place with a man of the match performance against the Brisbane Roar on the 22nd December 2018. His brilliant display of clever play and progressive running was capped off with an assist for a David Williams screamer, and a beautiful, curling free kick that just snuck past goalkeeper Jamie Young at the near post in the 93rd minute. This performance led to coach Mark Rudan describing him as “a little gem”, and him winning the praise of every Phoenix fan around the nation.
The Wellington Phoenix By the Stats 