Zohran Mamdani, the new mayor of New York who will be sworn in on January 1st, has not only won over New Yorkers and a large part of the American electorate. He was the first citizen with South Asian family roots to aspire to lead the city, also the youngest to do so (he is 34 years old) and with the handicap of coming from a party, the DSA (Democratic Socialists of America), outside the orbit of the two great ideological poles of the United States. The creative use of social networks, his naturalness in front of the camera and his closeness to the citizens did the rest. And that admiration also crossed the Atlantic, sneaking into the dressing room of Real Betis Balompié.
The first Muslim mayor of New York – the most populous city in the country, with 8.8 million inhabitants – is a well-known football fan, with a special fondness for Arsenal. In his last appearance on television this Tuesday, in the program The Adam Friedland Showthe politician received a very special greeting: Héctor Bellerín, Real Betis Balompié full-back, sent him a greeting video. This connection between Spain and the United States is not as unexpected as it might seem. The Spanish footballer played nine seasons for the London club, hence the admiration Mamdani has for Bellerín. And, in the words of the footballer, the admiration is mutual.
“Maybe you don’t recognize me with this hair, this shield and this moustache,” begins the message from Betic, dressed in the sportswear of the club where he now plays. “Yes, that is the Betis shield,” the mayor replied as the video continued to play. “Adam (the presenter) told me that you were going to watch the derby together (referring to the match between Arsenal and Tottenham on Sunday, which the local team won). I don’t know if you saw this video before, after or in between, but I’m sure that somehow we won. Being an Arsenal fan is very much linked to being a fucked up person. Cold. And my theory is really proven,” says Bellerín.
On The Adam Friedland Show, following a message from Ian Wright, another Arsenal great, Héctor Bellerín sends a message for Zohran Mamdani.
Bellerín congratulates the mayor-elect and Gunners fan, telling him how much his victory means to New York and the world. #COYG pic.twitter.com/OG8NC0D7Lu
— Brown Town Rising (@browntownrising) November 25, 2025
He continues: “Even in Spain we feel the energy of what happened. It’s really necessary. You are what New York needs right now, what the world needs right now. I send you so much love and respect from here. From a big Arsenal fan and former Arsenal player, to a big Arsenal fan too.” “I love this man,” the mayor responded after seeing the video. In addition to Bellerín, other footballers who wore the shirt of the London club also sent a message to the mayor.
His admiration for the footballer is not the only bond that unites Mamdani to Spain: at 21 he became a shareholder of Real Oviedo, when the club was about to disappear. “Congratulations on your victory! From today New York already has a little more blue than Real Oviedo!”, writes the official report of the Spanish club, currently in the First Division, in X.
In addition to his sporting career, Bellerín has always demonstrated his commitment and involvement in national politics and social causes. He has positioned himself pro-Palestine, going so far as to criticize some countries for their stance on the war in Gaza; He also supports environmental causes and has repeatedly denounced the homophobia from which many people still suffer. “I’d rather be real and have all the shit fall on me than be something I’m not. I have the opinion that genocide is being committed (…) There is a government that kills civilians, children and leaves them to starve. The rest of the world is watching and it seems that no matter what we do, nothing will change. There is a feeling of impunity, injustice, frustration and constant pain,” he said in a recent interview with ABC.
