New Delhi. After impressive performances in Test matches, the FIH Hockey Pro League and the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Indian hockey team captain Harmanpreet Singh (Harmanpreet Singh) has been nominated for the FIH Player of the Year Award. The 28-year-old defender had previously won this prestigious award in 2020-21 and 2021-22. Captain Harmanpreet Singh said, “It is a great honor for me to be nominated again for the FIH Player of the Year Award. I am very happy to be included among some of the best players in the world, but there is no doubt that this would not have been possible without the support of my team. All the goals I have scored in the FIH Hockey Pro League and the Paris 2024 Olympic Games have been possible only due to the team.” Harmanpreet has been nominated along with Thierry Brinkman (Netherlands), Joep de Mol (Netherlands), Hannes Muller (Germany) and Jack Wallace (England) after taking into account all the international matches held in 2024. Hockey’s Captain Cool, with his brilliant defence and excellent goal-scoring ability from penalty corners, led the Indian Men’s Hockey Team to a bronze medal at the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
He scored 10 goals in eight matches at the Olympics, seven of which came from penalty corners while the remaining three goals came from penalty strokes. He said, “Paris 2024 Olympics was not only the best tournament of this year but also the best journey of my entire career so far. The team has always supported me, especially during the World Cup last year, when I was not able to score from penalty corners. But the team did not let me blame myself in any way while they supported me to perform well and win a medal at the Olympics. It was always in my mind that I have to live up to the trust placed in me by the team. After returning from a short break after the Olympic Games, Harmanpreet set her eyes on the Asian Champions Trophy 2024 to be held in Moqi, China. Leading the team, he once again performed brilliantly and was named Player of the Tournament, in which India retained their title in China.