6 Highest valued Indian origin players in the world right now
The talk of Indian origin players donning the national colours has been a topic well heard of over the past few years. While a group of football followers in the country oppose the idea, the vast majority believe permitting players of Indian origin to represent the nation will be a boost in the long run.
Though FIFA policies let this category of players eligible for selection, the Indian government has differing rules. The player will have to move to India and apply for an Indian passport after letting go of his foreign passport.
Various players and coaches, including current national team head coach Igor Stimac, have called upon relaxation of policies. However, any alteration looks far from reality and, India will have to be content with the existing roster.
While the nation has kept the doors shut, the Indian-origin players have fared brilliantly elsewhere in the world. Numerous top-flight leagues have players of Indian descent, taking up vital roles for their respective clubs.
Here, we look at the six highest valued players of Indian descent in world football now.
#6 Sarpreet Singh (Bayern Munich) - €1.0M
On December 14, 2019, Sarpreet Singh became the first Indian origin player to play in the Bundesliga when he came off the bench to make his debut for Bayern Munich.
The attacking midfielder was born in New Zealand and signed for Wellington Phoenix, where he spent four years representing the first team and reserve sides. After impressive stints in the A-League, he was bought on board by German legends Bayern Munich in the summer of 2019.
The 21-year-old was on the bench for a few fixtures before registering his debut and has been an integral part of the club's reserve team. Sarpreet had scored seven goals from 20 appearances and was the team's second-highest goal-scorer in the season.
Though he lacked first-team playing time this edition, Sarpreet is indeed a future asset for Bayern. Judging the performances for the reserve team, it is fair to say that the youngster has adapted to the German challenge.
Next season, Sarpreet is expected to receive more first-team chances and, we might witness an Indian descent ruling the show in Germany.