BENGALURU: Indian football team goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu on Friday committed his association with Bengaluru FC for another five years as he signed a contract extension with the club till 2028.
Interestingly, Sandhu, the national team's number one goalkeeper, signed the contract on a day when he turned 31.
Sandhu, who joined the club in 2017 after becoming the first Indian player to play in the UEFA Europa League at Norway's Stabaek FC, has been a mainstay in Bengaluru FC's starting XI for the last five years.
"I'm pleased to have extended my stay at Bengaluru FC, a club that has always shown faith in my abilities," Sandhu said.
"The way the club and the city embraced me, and the love shown by the supporters makes me believe that this is the best place for me to continue my journey.”
During his time with Bengaluru FC so far, Sandhu has won three trophies which include the Indian Super League (ISL) title in 2018-19, the Super Cup in 2018 and most recently the Durand Cup in 2022.
He has played more than 50 matches for India since 2011.
Sandhu has made 108 appearances in the ISL and only Amrinder Singh has featured in more games in the country's top-flight league as goalkeeper.
Sandhu's first task after signing the contract extension will be to guide Bengaluru FC to the ISL playoffs. The Blues currently sit in seventh place but are just one point behind Odisha FC, who are at sixth.
Under the new format, the top two teams at the end of the league stage will automatically qualify for the semi-finals. The teams finishing between third and sixth will feature in a single-leg playoff to determine the other two semi-finalists.
Bengaluru FC travel to ATK Mohun Bagan on Sunday in a crucial game in the race for the playoffs.
