Wynton Rufer is thrilled by Sarpreet Singh's latest step forward at Bayern Munich, labelling his ascension "another miracle story for New Zealand football".
Singh made his first team debut on Sunday (NZT) for the five-time European champions, coming off the bench in the 82nd minute to replace Philippe Coutinho intheir 6-1 win over Werder Bremen.
The 20-year-old became just the second Kiwi to play in the Bundesliga, after Rufer's remarkable feats in the 1980s and 90s with Bremen and FC Kaiserslautern.
Before that Singh had been a stand out for the reserve side in Germany's third tier, with four goals and seven assists from 14 games.
Rufer takes pride in Singh's progress — having coached him at his Wynrs academy for several years — but has been surprised by Singh's rise over the last few years.
The All Whites great said Singh's pure talent was obvious as a teenager, but Rufer thought the A-League might be his ceiling.
"[I] could see that Sarpreet was going to be a professional player but probably not going to go further than the Wellington Phoenix because of the boxes that he didn't tick when he was 15/16," Rufer told the Radio Sport Breakfast.
"He [didn't] have super speed, he [didn't] have that physical [presence], which most of the top international players have. But what he did have was world class skills, he's got an amazing left foot and growing up he was clearly technically far ahead."
New Zealand's Sarpreet Singh, centre, challenges for the ball during a friendly against Lithuania. Photo / AP
All Whites coach Danny Hay has also closely followed Singh's career, since he was part of Hay's Sacred Heart academy for a couple of years, and said one thing always stood out.
"Even back then, he saw the game differently to other players," Hay told the Herald. "He saw things quickly, saw passes when others couldn't. And he has steadily evolved and developed the other areas of his game. The modern game is dictated around supreme athletes and it's very physical.
"But Sapreet is improving in that area. He has the ability to initiate contact and ride the challenge, and is very clever the way he uses his body."
Singh's progress is staggering.
Munich are one of world football's global elite, with only three other clubs (Real Madrid, Barcelona and Manchester United) exceeding their turnover of €750 million (NZ$1.27 billion) last season.
It's always difficult to predict the trajectory of young footballers, and no one could have foreseen this time last year that Singh would be at Bayern Munich.
His progress is due to a combination of factors, including his special talent, astute coaching, good timing and a little luck, but Singh's work ethic is often overlooked.
Singh has set goals since he was very young, made innumerable sacrifices and is remarkably driven.
He was delighted to make the grade at the Phoenix but always had his sights set much higher.
"It's not always easy in New Zealand," said Hay. "Because you can be a big fish in a tiny pond. But Sarpreet has dedicated himself to going as far as possible."
Bayern face SC Freiburg on Thursday (NZT) and Wolfsburg this weekend, before the Bundesliga shuts down for a month over winter.
