New Delhi: Indian goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, who became the 26th footballer to receive the prestigious Arjuna Award, feels that the acknowledgement he has got will act as a motivating factor to inspire the youngsters who want to make their careers in the sport. On Thursday, Sandhu received the Award from the honourable President Ram Nath Kovind at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
The 26-year old, who till now remains the only Indian to debut in the UEFA Europa League(qualifier), dedicated his Award to the past and future generations of football fraternity in the nation.
The stylish goalkeeper said, "I am very fortunate to win this Award,I want to dedicate it to the seniors who made this possible for me for paving a way. This Award is for the future generations who are about to come in this path. I hope this will act as a catalyst to inspire them,"
Meanwhile, he is the fourth person in the Indian goalkeepers' list to have received the honour, his predecessors including Subrata Paul (2016), Brahmanand Sankhwalkar (1997), and the late Peter Thangaraj (1967). Gurpreet had been a part of the AIFF's Centre of Excellence in his earlier years before he played for East Bengal and later moved to Norway's Stabaek FC, from where he changed colours to JSW Bengaluru FC in 2017.
He has also Captained the national side in a 4-1 win over Puerto Rico in 2016 and has been playing a pivotal role under the bar, helping the Blue Tigers to qualify for the AFC Asian Cup 2019, and maintaining a long unbeaten streak of 12 official International matches from June 2016 to November 2017.
