Born on 26 June 1992,Manpreet Singh is the captain of the Indian Field Hockey Team since May 2017. Hisplaying position is Midfielder, and he was also a part of the 2016 SummerOlympics.
Early life: Born in the outskirts of Jalandhar in a village namedMithapur, Manpreet belongs to a farming family. He began playing hockey when he was 9years old. In 2005, he joined the Surjit Hockey Academy, his first debut wasmade in 2011. During the Sultan of Johor Cup in 2013, he met a Malaysian LiliNajwa Saddique and then they tied knots in Punjab on 16th December2020.
Before playinghockey, he used to focus on PlayStation, Punjabi music usually of Honey Singhor Diljit Dosanjh, he also used to practice yoga. He really liked playing playstation and used to carry it along everywhere he used to go. He likes moviesbased on sports and is a big fan of Salman Khan. He also wishes to try acting in a movie.
His dream: His biggest aim is to act as an inspiration for youngstersand encourage them to play sports. Not to say he also wishes to win big forIndia.
His family & his interest in Hockey: He was inspired by the former Indian captain offield hockey Padma Shri Pargat Singh who himself belongs to Mithapur village. Hiselder brothers also played hockey and it acted as an attraction for him. His motherwas not a supporter of him playing hockey and had locked him in a room when hewas only 10-years-old. He escaped the room and went to his coach, after whichhe the coach told his elder brother how keen Manpreet was and that he should begiven a chance to at least try.
After his win in a tournamentwhere he won INR 500 cash, his family started supporting him. He then gotenrolled in Surjit Hockey Academy, Jalandhar. He idolizes former Germancaptain, Moritz Furste and holds Sardar Singh as an inspiration. He is a fan ofDavid Beckham, and Cristiano Ronaldo, and like them only he wears a 7 numberjersey.
His Achievements: He first represented India in the 2012 London Olympics, inthe next year he won gold in Men’s Hockey Junior World Cup and in the 2013 Sultanof Johor Cup. He is a silver medalist of the Commonwealth Games and goldmedalist at the Asian Games. In 2017, he won bronze in Hockey World LeagueFinals, and named victory of the Indian team in the Asia Cup. In 2018, he wonbronze in the Asian Games, silver in Champions Trophy, and gold in the AsianChampions Trophy serving as a captain. he is the only 6th hockey player to be the honor of being India's flag-bearer at the Olympics.
Awards: In 2018, he was presented with Arjuna Award by the Indian authorities.In 2019, at the FIH Player of the Year Awards, he was awarded the best men’splayer.
He is the richestIndian Hockey player having net worth $8-$10 million and earns Rs 50,000 monthly as part of the Ministry of youthAffairs and Sports flagship program, TOPS. Currently, he is leading the Indian Hockey Team at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, bringingback the glory of the Indian hockey team. They have entered the Quarter-finalsafter defeating japan in Pool A and their match is scheduled today againstBritain.