New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani finally gets his Arsenal wish

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FT Desk

New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani has finally seen one of his Arsenal wishes come true.

Mamdani, a lifelong Arsenal fan, has stunned some football supporters with his supreme knowledge of the game, particularly with regard to the Gunners and the Premier League from the early noughties.

Born in Uganda, he moved with his family to New York at the age of seven, and it was thereafter that he began watching soccer and Arsene Wenger's Arsenal in particular.

“My uncle is an Arsenal fan,” Mamdani told the New York Times.

“He introduced me. Wenger was one of the first managers to really bring African players into the EPL. I grew up with Kolo Toure, [Nwankwo] Kanu, Alex Song, Lauren and Emmanuel Eboue.

"I had the Invincibles as magnets on my fridge. I loved David Seaman, Sylvain Wiltord, all these guys. I’ve gone to a few Arsenal games, many with my uncle. It really has been a big part of my life and my identity.”

In November, he appeared on The Adam Friedland Show while Arsenal and Tottenham faced off in a North London Derby.

Quand le nouveau maire de New York, Zohran Mamdani étale sa culture footballistique ! 😭😭😭

"Tous les jours quand je me réveille, je pense à Sebastian Squillaci, Pascal Cygan, Marouane Chamakh !"pic.twitter.com/U2gTTQOs9D

— Instant Foot ⚽️ (@lnstantFoot) November 25, 2025

Ahead of the recording, Friedland arranged personalised video messages from Arsenal icons lan Wright and Hector Bellerin as a surprise for Mamdani. His genuinely emotional and appreciative response quickly spread across social media, where the clip attracted widespread attention.

Later in the interview, Mamdani amused viewers by saying he wakes up every day thinking about former Arsenal players Sebastian Squillaci, Pascal Cygan and Marouane Chamakh. The unexpected reference to the trio of forgotten Gunners also gained traction online and became another widely shared moment from the episode.

Cygan himself was one of the millions of people who saw the clip and it certainly touched him as would eventually promise Mamdani a jersey from Arsenal's Invincibles season.

"He is the mayor of New York, one of the most famous people in the world," Cygan said, as quoted by L'Equipe.

"We hear a lot about him right now. My parents were very moved when I told them the news.

"That’s where you see the difference between a true fan and a casual. It means he knows and has supported all the players who have played for the club. Still, I imagine I wasn’t the player who made him dream the most when he was young.

"It was probably more like Thierry Henry or Dennis Bergkamp. I also suspect that if he mentioned me, it was to answer a question like: ‘Could you prove to us that you really know Arsenal’s history?’

“I’m going to send Zohran Mamdani a jersey I wore during the 'Invincibles' season, along with a short note. I’m going to contact the New York City Hall to make sure it actually reaches the mayor.

"I’m not doing this to get invited to New York, especially since I’m not very proud of my English. It’s just to thank him. The funny thing is, I didn’t keep many jerseys from my career; I just put a few aside, thinking they might be useful for special occasions - and this is one of them, isn’t it?"

Cygan has attempted numerous times to send the gift to Mamdani via the post, but it was rejected by United States customs.

However, the World Cup presented the opportunity for an exchange as L'Equipe journalist Jose Barroso, who covered Argentina at the tournament, was able to schedule a rendezvous with Mamdani to give him the jersey.