Zohran Mamdani, New York City’s first elected Muslim mayor and the youngest in more than a century, is a self-confessed Arsenal fan and a fan of former Spanish footballer Cesc Fabrega
𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐘𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐂𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐦𝐚𝐲𝐨𝐫-𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐙𝐨𝐡𝐫𝐚𝐧 𝐌𝐚𝐦𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐢 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐧 𝐀𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐟𝐚𝐧! 🤩🔴⚪ pic.twitter.com/kFqrWlFOyP
— AFTV (@AFTVMedia) November 6, 2025
During his youth, Zohran Mamdani was attracted to soccer by his European friends, and became an avid Arsenal fan.
The new mayor of New York City had no qualms about staying up late to watch Premier League matches.
Football was always a vital reference point for Zohran Mamdani, who even compared his political resilience to Leicester City’s historic feat (a modest team that won the Premier League in 2016).
“Every day more people are joining our campaign. And it’s a campaign that started with only 1%. If I had to describe it as a recent surprise, I would say it is the Leicester City of campaigns,” he explained.
In an interview with ‘The Guardian’, the media-savvy new mayor of New York admitted that he has been an Arsenal fan since his childhood in Uganda.
“Some of my earliest memories are of Kanu, Lauren, Kolo Toure, Emmanuel Eboue, Alex Song… Arsenal has been a fundamental part of my life and my identity, and also of my conviction that this is the year and this is the season. It’s good preparation to be a social democrat,” he said.