@The Emirates: Mr. Top Gooner!

It’s a proud day for us Indian’s as one of our very own, i.e. A B Kuruvilla, has been conferred with the ‘Barclays Fan of India‘ piece & thus the unofficial tag of being India’s No. 01 Arsenal Die-Hard. Now I know many would dispute the aforementioned, but let’s face it, it’s him who gets the plaudits this time around. Maybe next year, lesser mortals like you & me, can get lucky! For now, we @11G celebrate Aby’s triumph & entail his journey thus far. Here’s to Aby Baby Kuruvilla ladies & gentlemen. Enjoy..

24 year old Aby, hails from the football-crazy Kerela & currently earns his bread in Bangalore. The judging panel, which included Manchester United legends Gary Pallister and Bryan Robson, selected Aby from the thousands of entries that poured in from all corners of India. Contestants from 80 cities sent in photographs, videos and scrapbooks to support their entries. This is what Bryan Robson had to say about Aby Baby (God I love this name!):

“We were over-whelmed at seeing the response from the contest. I would like to congratulate Aby, who obviously adores Arsenal Football Club. It was a tough decision to choose only one winner from the thousands of entries we received but Aby came across as the most passionate of all.”

Even Arsene had nice things to say about all this:

“We are proud to have so many fans all over the world supporting Arsenal Football Club. We are delighted that Aby has won this special prize and we are truly grateful for his support towards Arsenal from so far away. We hope that Aby has a memorable trip to Emirates Stadium.”

Now with all these legends speaking, how can we discount the man-of-the-moment from the  melee. Here’s what Aby was qouted saying before he embarked on a journey to Arsenal’s cathedral:

“Winning the contest is a dream come true. It hasn’t even sunk in that I’ll be travelling to the Emirates Stadium – the home of the Gunners – to watch the team play live. I’ve always supported Arsenal and will continue doing so until the end of time. I haven’t missed a single game of the team on TV for years. Thirty eight games a season is just not enough!”

How true is that!? No wonder this guy has made it to the top of the heap amidst so many ardent Gooners across India. Before we leave, have a look at the interview he did with guys at Arsenal FC (phew!) & right after is the video which eventually made him Numero Uno.

Way to go Aby, Baby you’ve done Us Proud! Keep Gunning for now..

Q. Aby, welcome to Arsenal. Tell us about yourself.

A. I am from Kerala, I am doing a software job in Bangalore and this is my first trip out of my country and it is very, very cold! I can feel it and I need to get some gloves!

Q. How did you become the Barclays Fan Of India?

A. I saw about the Barclays Fan Of India contest on a website and then I submitted my entry which had text and photos and a video entry. I was singing Arsenal songs in the video.

Q. Why is Arsenal your team?

A. They play beautiful football, really attractive football. They are a great team from London. People in India like Arsenal because they play a good, passing game and are very difficult to stop. My favourite players are Robin Van Persie and Cesc Fabregas.

Q. What have you done on your first visit to London?

A. I went to the London Eye and Madame Tussauds and then I came to the game. Yesterday I came to Emirates Stadium and was given a tour. I sat in Arsène Wenger’s seat and had a look around. It is a very beautiful stadium. It is a privilege to be here. My family and friends are happy for me and they are all watching me at the game tonight.

Q. How do you usually follow the games in India?

A. I normally watch the games with my friends from my home town and I also follow the games on Arsenal TV Online.

Q. And how do you expect tonight’s game to go?

A. It has been disappointing recently but they can come back strongly against Liverpool. I think it will be 1-0, I am confident of that. (He even got the result right, woo!)