– It's a great feeling for me, but Indian football has a long way to go as we only have one player in Europe, says Singh, the day after his league debut for Stabæk.
– Back home there's two leagues, and it's not a good situation. I think the federation is working on it, to get a league system like the rest of the world.
The Indian international joined Stabæk in 2014, and before yesterdays game he had only made apperances in the cup.
Trending on Twitter
After making his debut, the 24-year-old was trending on Twitter in Mumbai and journalists back in India contacted him.
He is amazed by all the attention he has received from India.
– Football is not that big in India, but the response from people back home was great.
Before joining Stabæk, Singh played for East Bengal in India and a series of coincidences led to a transfer to the Norwegian league.
– It's a long story, but one of my contacts had a connection to Stabæk and I came here for a trail. After a while I got offered a contract, he says.
– What's the biggest difference between the Norwegian and the Indian league?
– It's much more competitive here and for my career it was a good move. I would have made more money playing in India, but I came here to develop as a player and maybe take a step towards a bigger league.
When NRK met Singh the day after his debut he was busy packing his bags. Next stop – Laos, for the two final qualification games for the Asian cup.
The last Indian player in Europe was Mohammed Salim in the 1930s, but he never got a competitive match for Celtic.
