Manchester United fanboys in Singapore included one Lee Chong Wei

By now, English football giants Manchester United are back in Europe preparing for the new season kicking off on Aug 9.

Not long ago, the team's sporting idols were in Singapore thrilling local fans at the National Stadium and at sponsor events around the island.

United played a friendly match with Italy's Inter Milan on July 20 and did not forget to chronicle their time here on social media.

One of the posts made for fans online is an all-access film that features pre- and post-match highlights, plus the actual action on the field.

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As the 17-minute video winds down, with brand-friendly footage of the superstars signing autographs and agreeing to wefie requests, one fanboy is seen among other fans patiently waiting for his idols to pass through the corridor.

He is no ordinary fanboy.

For almost two decades, up until recent months, Lee Chong Wei was on the other side of the fence, doling out autographs and photo ops.

The retired badminton player is considered one of the greatest of all time, ranked world number one for a staggering 349 weeks.

In the video, however, Lee is seen getting an autograph from and then staring intently at Mancunian favourite Marcus Rashford, just like any fanboy would.

Mind you, the year Lee won his first professional title in 2003, Rashford was only 6 years old.

The ex-shuttler posted about his trip to Singapore on Facebook and gushed about United.

[embed]https://www.facebook.com/leechongweiofficial/posts/1086780918186526[/embed]

In the photos, he is seen with wife Wong Mew Choo and a couple of former footballers at the game.

Based on comments on his page and on reddit, it was previously not known that the 36-year-old is a United fan.

Most commenters also wished him a full recovery from the nose cancer diagnosed in September 2018.

tanthiampeng@asiaone.com