Arsenal star Myles Lewis Skelly was joined by club legend Robert Pires and were left stunned by a moment of serendipity.
They met up at the pop-up Topps Chrome Gallery at Protein Studios in Shoreditch as the iconic brand launched their new UCC trading card set.
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As they celebrated the art of card collecting with a number of immersive exhibits they also opened up a box of the new cards in front of fans.
France World Cup winner Pires, known for his artistry on the pitch, went up first and the first card of his first pack turned out to be magnifique.
With the man at his side, Pires found a Lewis Skelly ‘Power Players’ card leaving the pair in disbelief.
Both looked at each other and exclaimed, ‘No way’, as they showed the hit to the crowd.
“You guys are messing with me,” joked Lewis Skelly as the pair continued to open packs.
And moments later it got even better as Pires then found an autographed Max Dowman rookie card.
The 16-year-old sensation’s signed card is set to be one of the most chased this season with big things expected of the prodigious talent.
Some of his autographed cards are already selling for hundreds of pounds.
Upon pulling the Dowman card, Pires joked about his luck: “I love Arsenal, that’s why!”
A curious Lewis Skelly was even more stunned when he found out it was the only signed card in the box.
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“I want to get one,” he laughed as he opened more packs.
Pires and Lewis-Skelly enjoyed a chat before opening the new Topps Chrome UEFA Club Competitions 2025-26 product.
Asked what he spoke to the versatile youngster, who has starred in midfield in recent games, about, he said: “This is very important, of course, it’s the end of the season. They are very close to winning two great trophies.
“For me, the best one is the Premier League. The next game against West Ham is very important.
“Very difficult too but I believe always in the Arsenal players and Mikel Arteta, because he is my friend. I think he has been doing very well for a long time.
“For Myles and the other players, it’s a very good opportunity to lift a trophy, especially the Premier League.
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“They need to concentrate and focus on the game, leave the trophy, and after they need to prepare for the final against Paris Saint-Germain.
“Of course it will be difficult but it’s a final and I think they have a good opportunity to win the Champions League.”
The launch came on the same day it was confirmed that from 2031 Fanatics and Topps will extend their licensing deal with FIFA.
As part of the contract, Topps are committing to giving away $150million (£110m) of products to support youth football around the globe.
