Sarpreet Singh's road to the 2026 FIFA World Cup began some years ago on football fields in South Auckland.
Now, after rising through the ranks from local clubs to FC Bayern Munich and across Europe, the midfielder is preparing to represent New Zealand on football's biggest stage.
The Auckland-born footballer has become one of the country's most prominent athletes of Indian heritage, with his journey from Papatoetoe to Europe's elite football system inspiring young players from migrant communities now entering the sport in New Zealand.
"I was very happy when the coach told me and I was really, really proud and honoured," Singh said.
"I felt this, I guess, a sense of responsibility to go on the world stage now and make everyone in the country proud."
Singh's World Cup selection marks the latest milestone in a journey that began in South Auckland with local football clubs in Papatoetoe and Onehunga.
Born in Auckland to Punjabi parents, Singh said football quickly became a huge part of his childhood.
"I grew up in South Auckland. I initially started with Papatoetoe when I was younger and then my mum enrolled me into ... the Wynton Rufer Academy," he said.
"Most of my development came through Onehunga," he said. "Then ... we had the Under 17s World Cup qualifiers and then, from there, I was invited down to Wellington to train with the teams down here."
That move eventually led him to Wellington Phoenix FC, where Singh made his senior debut as a 16-year-old and quickly established himself as one of the most exciting young talents in the A-League.
He represented New Zealand at the FIFA Under 17 World Cup in 2015 as well as the FIFA Under 20 World Cups in 2017 and 2019, performances that caught the attention of German giant Bayern Munich.
In 2019, Bayern Munich signed Singh in what was then a record transfer fee for Wellington Phoenix.
The move made him the first player of Indian descent to represent Bayern Munich and, later, the first New Zealander to play in the Bundesliga since Wynton Rufer retired in 2001.
Singh later played across Europe for clubs including FC Nürnberg, SSV Jahn Regensburg, FC Hansa Rostock, União de Leiria and Serbian side FK TSC Bačka Topola.
Sarpreet Singh greets supporters ahead of the Phoenix's match against the Melbourne Victory in February. Photo: www.photosport.nz
Earlier this year, Singh returned to Wellington Phoenix on loan from FK TSC Bačka Topola in a bid to secure regular game time ahead of the 2026 World Cup.
"I wanted to play games before the World Cup and I think that was the right decision to give me the best chance to make sure I'm playing games," he said.
However, his return was interrupted after he suffered an injury just after one appearance for the club, leaving him sidelined for about 10 weeks.
"It was unfortunate but as soon as I knew how my injury recovery timeline looked, I looked forward and tried to be positive," he said.
Singh made his senior All Whites debut in 2018.
He was also included in New Zealand's squad for the 2024 Paris Olympics and played an important role in the All Whites' successful World Cup qualifying campaign.
While much of his football career had been spent overseas, Singh still maintained strong ties to India and his Punjabi heritage.
His parents still travelled to India each year, although he said football commitments had made it difficult for him to visit regularly himself.
"It's definitely something that I'm going to do in the near future because I think it's very important to go back," he said.
Singh said one of his most memorable football experiences came during some international games in India, where local fans were very vocal in their support.
"It was obviously very strange, because I was loved by everyone," he said.
"It was just so nice to see all the support and, obviously, I was playing for New Zealand," he said.
"But the support and the fans cheering for me and showing me all the love and appreciation, it meant a lot, even back then at that age."
All Whites midfielder Sarpreet Singh in action against the Republic of Ireland in 2023. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Singh had observed more families from the Indian community becoming involved in football in New Zealand, something he believed reflected the growth of the sport in the country.
According to New Zealand Football, soccer is the country's biggest team participation sport, with more than 180,000 registered players nationwide.
Players of Asian heritage are among the fastest growing groups in the game, increasing by 10 percent over the past year.
Youth players of Indian heritage recorded even stronger growth, rising by 16 percent over the same period.
"It has been brilliant to see the growth of the game across Aotearoa but the surge in young footballers of Indian heritage has been particularly significant, increasing by 16 percent over the last year," chief executive Andrew Pragnell said.
"No doubt having players like Sarpreet Singh competing on the global stage at the FIFA World Cup this year will only help grow this further," he said.
Singh said New Zealand was on the right path in terms of football development.
"You see more professional teams and now, with the World Cup and hopefully in the future, you'll have more teams in the A-League from New Zealand, or they will have their own professional league one day," he said.
With the World Cup approaching, Singh said the current All Whites squad believed it could achieve something special on football's biggest stage.
"[When] you're playing on the world stage, it's the biggest stage of all," he said.
"And I know, within this group, we have a belief that we can do something very special.
"I think we've really built up a very good squad and had some good games over the past few years, but I think it'll all come together nicely at the World Cup," he said.
"We can ideally make New Zealanders proud of what we've done," he said.
-RNZ
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