NxGn India: Harmanpreet Singh – The Khelo India Games product eager to make his mark

As part of our NxGn India series, Goal took a look at the most promising young talents in the country. Having revealed the ten potential stars who have found a place in this year’s list, it’s time for a shout out to those who narrowly missed out.

Young Indian Arrows forward Harmanpreet Singh is a name that is attracting a lot of attention from around the country, with Kolkata giants East Bengal looking set to land his signature for the upcoming season.

The 18-year-old made his senior debut for the Indian Arrows in the 2018-19 season against Minerva Punjab. Though he played just one game back then, he has become a regular in the recently concluded season, making 13 appearances.

Though Harmanpreet does not have any goals or assists to show for his efforts, the way he has led the lines and facilitated fellow forwards Vikram Pratap Singh and Rohit Danu has been impressive.

Harmanpreet is a versatile forward who can lead the line or play on either wings and is a hard worker. The 2019-20 season has been a huge lesson for the youngster who is eager to keep improving his game.

“This year has been really good for me. I’ve been playing a lot of matches for Arrows. We were playing and competing against stronger teams and it was a great learning curve,” he told Goal.

Arrows were a competitive force despite tallying only nine points from 16 matches this season but Harmanpreet feels the experience of playing against physically superior players will augur well for them.

“Football has changed a lot I think. Our coaches have taught us that we have to work hard without the ball more than with the ball. We have to cope with the fact and learn how to beat the defenders who are more physical than us. The coaches help us a lot with such tactics,” he added.

The youngster has footballing blood running through his veins and it is something that helped mould his passion for the game into a serious career prospect. Harmanpreet’s father Satnam Singh has played football for Punjab Police team which was one of the famous teams in Indian football back then.

But that’s not it. His uncle used to be a footballer too. In fact, he played for JCT Phagwara and even won the Durand Cup with them. The support from these two has been very important for Harmanpreet.

“I started football at the age of eight in school. We used to play at our school ground regularly. Those were my steps in football. I sort of felt that why can’t I make a career out of football. My father used to play football for Punjab Police and I thought I can follow in his footsteps. He supported me completely.

“My uncle also used to play football a lot. He has played for clubs like JCT. He has won a lot of trophies including Durand Cup. He would motivate me and support me whenever he came home. He taught me a lot of things. Both my father and uncle have inspired me,” he said.

Harmanpreet’s journey up the ladder has not been easy. He represented Punjab at the U14 nationals and played for United Punjab FC’s youth teams. But it took him a bit of time before the Indian Arrows scouts noticed him.

“I went to play nationals at the U14 level for Punjab. I went to play at the Kalyani ground in Kolkata and that tournament helped me motivate myself and proved that I could do something in football. 

“But the turning point was when I went to play the Khelo India games at the U18 level. I was scouted for Arrows from there. They called me for trials in Goa and I was selected. Then I was called up to the India U18 team as well.”

Harmanpreet is now on the cusp of joining a prestigious club like East Bengal but the 18-year-old is keeping his feet grounded.

“Since it is lockdown right now, I’m just working on my fitness so as to improve my game. My immediate concern is to ensure I weed out the mistakes I committed last season and improve my game. If I play in the ISL or I-League, my aim is to ensure I play better than how I played last season,” said the 18-year-old with a clarity of thought that belies his age.

And of course, Harmanpreet yearns to play for the national team one day. And he hopes that day comes sooner rather than later.

“Ever since I started football, my only aim has been to play for the national team as soon as possible. Sunil bhai (Chhetri) and all started playing for India at a very young age. I wanted to take it as a challenge and play for India as quickly as possible.”