Boxing promoter Frank Warren was in attendance for the IBO World Middleweight title fight between Chris Eubank Jr. and Kamil Szeremeta this week, and he was joined by Brazilian footballer Neymar.
Warren is an Islington-born Arsenal fan, and he took the opportunity to try and convince the legendary winger to come and play for his club.
“This is the man,” Warren said. “He’s coming to England, he’s going to come and play for Arsenal.
“When are you coming to Arsenal? We need you, we need you.”
For Neymar’s part, he just laughed along with the suggestion, before saying “I’m back”, presumably in reference to his return from injury.
The 32-year-old signed for Saudi Pro League club Al-Hilal last summer, but he only made five appearances before suffering an ACL injury.
After a year out of action, the player is now back in training with his teammates, and it shouldn’t be long before he returns to the pitch for competitive fixtures.
It remains to be seen how Neymar returns from injury, and he’ll presumably want to provide Al-Hilal with at least some value for their money before moving on to another club.
At this point in his career, a spell at Arsenal seems exceedingly unlikely for Neymar, but you can understand the impulse to try to persuade him.