Sarpreet Singh

Sarpreet Singh (born 20 February 1999) is a New Zealand professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for A-League Men club Wellington Phoenix, on loan from Serbian SuperLiga club TSC and the New Zealand national team.

Born in New Zealand to Indian parents, Singh played for Onehunga Sports in his youth before joining the Wellington Phoenix Academy in 2015, then making his competitive senior debut for the Wellington Phoenix in 2015. He spent four seasons with the club, becoming a regular starter and earning his first international call up for New Zealand 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 at the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup, 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.

Born in Auckland, New Zealand, Singh grew up playing for local club Onehunga Sports under the tutelage of long-term mentor Hiroshi Miyazawa. 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 side Everton.

Singh joined the Wellington Phoenix Academy in early 2015 after impressing then-Phoenix coach Ernie Merrick, while playing for the New Zealand under-17 side at the OFC U-17 Championship. He was one of two players to receive a footballing scholarship to Scots College from New Zealand international Winston Reid.

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

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, despite only playing eleven games.

Singh carried his form into the 2018–19 season, becoming an undisputed starter under new coach Marko Rudan 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 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 as "the best player in the A-League right now at this moment in time".