THE Barclays Asia Trophy will take place for the first time in Singapore this July but 50 lucky fans got their hands on the coveted tickets and also earned a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to rub shoulders with former football stars on Wednesday.
They won the Category 2 (50 pairs in total) tickets, worth between $105 and $115, to the tournament after winning a contest run jointly by The Straits Times, Barclays Bank and the English Premier League (EPL).
The contest involved the fans submitting a picture of themselves performing a goal celebration in their favourite EPL club's jersey.
The fans who had sent in winning submissions were invited to the special event, where they not only collected their tickets, but also got the chance to meet Arsenal legend Ian Wright, former Everton midfielder Graham Stuart and Stoke City's former striker Mamady Sidibe.
The opportunity was a memorable one for one of the winners, Farhan Afiq.
"I am not an Arsenal fan but to be able to interact and be up close with a player as legendary as Ian Wright was unbelievable," said the 22-year-old.
EPL sides Arsenal, Everton, and Stoke City, as well as a Singapore Select XI will compete for the Barclays Asia Trophy on on July 15 and 18 at the National Stadium.
