‘As if Arsenal planned a birthday party for me’
It proved to be a special birthday for Gunners fan Aaron Ong yesterday.
The engineer got to celebrate his 34th birthday with scores of fellow supporters and half a dozen players - Bernd Leno, Sead Kolasinac, Calum Chambers, Rob Holding, Edward Nketiah and Sokratis Papastathopoulos - from his favourite club at the official Arsenal Fan Party at Shangri-La Hotel yesterday afternoon.
The English Premier League side are in town for the Singapore leg of the International Champions Cup, alongside Paris Saint-Germain and Atletico Madrid, which kicks off at the National Stadium tonight.
"It was a lot of fun getting to see the players, and there were interviews and games. It's not something you get every day," said Ong, who has been a Gunners supporter since 1996 and has seen them play in London seven times.
"It's something special. It's almost as if Arsenal planned a birthday party for me.
"This ranks up there with some of my best birthdays."
Meanwhile, at Clarke Quay, fellow Gunners Mesut Oezil, Alex Iwobi and Reiss Nelson took part in a meet-and-greet session, posing for pictures and signing jerseys for some lucky Arsenal supporters.
One of the fans who managed to get a snap with the trio was former Singapore goalkeeper Hyrulnizam Juma'at, an Arsenal fan since he was 11.
The Warriors FC custodian rushed off to training straight after getting his photos.
Said the 32-year-old: "I just wished them all the best for the upcoming season.
"It's good of them to take part in these kinds of events for the fans." - DILENJIT SINGH
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