The Edry bird catches the worm
When 18-year-old Arsenal fan Edry Ernady arrived at Shangri-La Hotel yesterday morning, he was unsure if he would be able to land autographs of his favourite players.
The teenager was one of over 30 fans who turned up early to welcome the Gunners, who will be participating in the Singapore leg of the International Champions Cup (ICC) this week.
As the first to arrive, he had to wait nearly three hours, but his patience finally paid off .
He scored autographs and wefies with players like Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and Hector Bellerin, who obliged waiting fans with autographs and wefies despite looking visibly tired from the long flight.
For the second-year business process and systems engineering student at Temasek Polytechnic, meeting his idols was like a dream come true.
He said: "I'm speechless, it means a lot to me. I will never sell this (jersey), I'll keep it as a family treasure."
Aside from Edry, many other fans sported Arsenal jerseys and scarves, with memorabilia and markers in hand for autographs.
They were in jubilant mood as they greeted the Arsenal team by singing favourites such as "We Love you Arsenal" and "By Far the Greatest Team".
One such fan in attendance was 22-year-old full-time national serviceman Amanpreet Singh.
He said: "As a football fan you watch for hours on TV, it really resonates with me to see them here.
"All it takes is one photo and video and you could look back at it years later."
The English football giants will kick off the ICC when they face Spanish side Atletico Madrid on Thursday.
They then take on Paris Saint-Germain on Saturday.
Paris Saint-Germain play Atletico on Monday.
All the matches are at the National Stadium. - JONAH FOONG
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now
