Manchester United legends Ryan Giggs and Gary Neville paid a surprise visit to the Home United Youth Academy on Mattar Road yesterday afternoon.
The two former Red Devils, who are in town for the opening of their co-owned Cafe Football, arrived midway through the “United At Home” football clinic organised by S.League club Home, and rubbed shoulders with about 50 kids between the ages of 11 and 15.
The youths are from different organisations in the MacPherson area, including the Teens Network Club @ MacPherson, MacPherson Primary School, Darul Ihsan Orphanage, Salim Mattar Mosque and Ramakrishna Mission Singapore.
After addressing the youngsters and teasing those who support United’s rivals Liverpool, Giggs and Neville then helped coach the kids at the different drills.
As Giggs, a wing wizard, showed them how to dribble around cones, Neville, a fullback, quipped: “My station is throw-ins.”
The two former Premier League stars then took part in a penalty challenge, with each leading a team that featured the youth participants as well as Home players such as Hariss Harun and Faris Ramli.
SHOCKED
Said 12-year-old Muhammad Hussein, holding an autographed poster: “I am still shocked that they were here and I am very happy I got to meet them.”
Parliamentary Secretary for Home Affairs Amrin Amin, who was the Guest of Honour at the event, said: “I am glad that the youths enjoyed themselves during this event.
“I hope that they have not only learnt the technical skill sets, but have also understood that values such as discipline, resilience and teamwork are important attributes to succeed in football and in life.
“I am also heartened that the collaboration between Home United and the various MacPherson community organisations has provided this excellent opportunity for youths, for them to get up close and personal with their favourite football players.”
This article was first published on Apr 11, 2017.
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