Amanpreet Singh

If this was meant to be a pre-season friendly, then it turned out to be everything but one. We often hear, read, and witness first-hand about how drab these matches can get, and about how fans are not getting their money’s worth because of the absence of star players. But for the 22,007 fans present at the National Stadium last night for the International Champions Cup (ICC) match between Paris Saint Germain and Atletico Madrid, they will certainly talk about this contest for the next few days and weeks, if not months and years to come. If they arrived disappointed…

What a difference a week makes. Just seven days ago, Mesut Özil was at the centre of a heated debate following his decision to retire from the German national football team. There were critics, supporters, and those who were simply too stunned to formulate an opinion. But at the National Stadium in Singapore last night, all the 29-year-old received was pure love and affection. Özil, who captained Arsenal, won the hearts of the 50,308-strong crowd (a majority of whom were Arsenal fans) as he put in an inspired display to help the Gunners defeat Paris Saint Germain 5-1 in their…

The talk of the town was present at the National Stadium last night, but he played no part in Arsenal’s International Champions Cup (ICC) opener against Atletico Madrid. All the 23,095-strong crowd got was a mere glimpse of Mesut Özil for just seven seconds – when the two big screens in the stadium zoomed in on him seated on the bench in the 71st minute. The 29-year-old, who created a stir after announcing his retirement from the German national football team last Sunday, smiled and gave a thumbs-up, resulting in the loudest cheer of the night from the crowd, most…

Mesut Özil is fully focused on the upcoming Premier League season with Arsenal, despite being caught in the centre of a raging debate following his retirement from international football on Sunday night. That was the view of former Gunners midfielder Ray Parlour, who is currently in Singapore in his role as a club ambassador for the International Champions Cup (ICC). Özil cited “racism and disrespect” shown towards him by the German Football Association (DFB) as the main reason behind his retirement in a lengthy, no-holds-barred statement released on his various social media pages. This led to widespread concerns that the…

The last time Arsenal were in town back in 2015, they created such a massive buzz that the 55,000-seater National Stadium was almost filled – with a record attendance of 52,107- for the final of their Barclays Asia Trophy match against fellow English side Everton. Three years on that record still stands, and there is no reason why it cannot be broken, especially with the Gunners back again and facing Spanish giant Atletico Madrid and French powerhouse Paris Saint-Germain this time. The trio will be taking part in a pre-season club friendly tournament called the International Champions Cup, which is…

Once again, it did not come home, but this time there was solace rather than sorrow in defeat. 24 June 2004. I still remember the date vividly. It is a date that has stayed with me throughout the years. It is the date of my first real heartbreak as a football fan. Unbeknownst to my then eight-year-old self, this was just the start of many harrowing years that were to follow in my journey as a supporter of the England national football team. I was just a shy and unassuming young boy, with barely any knowledge of the world around…