KUALA LUMPUR: A crowd of more than 100 local football fans gathered to meet Manchester United legend Dwight Yorke during a special meet-and-greet session in the city centre today.
Yorke, who was part of the squad that won the treble – Premier League, FA Cup and European Champions League – in 1999, said he “definitely felt the love” in Kuala Lumpur.
“I've been lucky enough to visit this wonderful country (several times).
“Every time I come to Kuala Lumpur – not only the fans, but the people and food – everything has been absolutely fantastic,” he said, thanking the fans for their famous Malaysian hospitality.
In the question and answer session that followed, Yorke shared with fans his experience playing football for Manchester United under legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
Yorke said in his opinion, Ferguson was the best manager in football and joining the likes of Ryan Giggs, David Beckham and Andy Cole at Manchester United was not a difficult decision.
The former Tobagonian international, Yorke scored more than 50 goals for Ferguson's United.
Many pundits argue that the 1999 United squad may have been the best United squad in history, due to the way they dominated all competitions they were in that year.
Though Manchester United has not won the Premier League in the last few years, Yorke said he believes that it is just a matter of time before the biggest club in the world to starts winning the league again.
The appointment of Jose Mourinho brought the club some much-needed stability and now the club can challenge for the title again, according to Yorke.
His fans were feeling the love from him, too.
Eager United fans began showing up at the venue as early as noon to catch a glimpse of one of the most decorated players in Manchester United’s history.
One fan, Othlane Ceaser Minudin, hailing all the way from Sabah, said it was a dream come true to meet his boyhood hero.
"I've been following United since the days of Eric Cantona.
"I remember watching Dwight Yorke's partnership with his soul brother, Andy Cole, back in 1999.
"They were unstoppable," said Othlane.
Fans could not keep calm after the question and answer session, and many could not help but steal a few photos here and there during the autograph signing period.
The event that was organised by Manchester United official global partner, Epson Malaysia, also featured many contests for the fans with plenty of giveaways.
Leveraging on Epson’s global sponsorship of Manchester United Football Club, the company was proud to organise a fun outreach activity between local young football talents and fans with Yorke, who is bringing the #ILOVEUNITED party for the first time to Malaysia.
As part of an on-going corporate social responsibility effort to promote local youth football development, Epson Malaysia’s “Meet and Greet” session between the legend and young footballers of the Tunas Lagenda Football Club (TLFC) was aimed at spurring young talents to greater heights in their chosen arena.
Pint-sized TLFC Under 13 squad captain, Ammar Irham Mohd Idwan Shah, expressed his gratitude to Epson and Manchester United for making the event possible.
“This is a good experience for all of us," said Ammar.
Despite his young age of 13, Ammar heard a lot about Yorke from his father.
He said meeting the legend in person was a special experience for him.
"I didn't think much of it at first, but after meeting him, I was star struck.
"Hopefully, God willing (Insyallah) I will also become an international football player like Dwight Yorke," said Ammar.
Believing in the good that sports can bring to the young, Epson offered these young players an opportunity to meet sports idols, to be inspired and to challenge themselves in sports.
This is in line with Epson’s global tagline “Exceed Your Vision” – as players break through barriers in pursuit of excellence.
Fans who missed the opportunity to meet Yorke earlier may go to Time Square Kuala Lumpur later today.
He is expected to join fellow United legends Dennis Irwin and David May for a public viewing of the match between Manchester United and Liverpool with the fans.