It somehow seemed appropriate that the official signing ceremony for ex-Liverpool and Arsenal winger Jermaine Pennant with Tampines Rovers in the S.League was held in a Singapore motor showroom.
Although Tampines' sponsors Komoco Motors sell new cars, Pennant might be viewed as a fancy, 'pre-owned' model, built for speed. Having just turned 33, this UK make doesn't have too many miles on the odometer but there might be question marks over its long-term reliability.
The former England U21 player agreed on Tuesday to a one-year deal with the 2015 runners-up to become the highest profile signing in the two decade history of Singapore's professional league.
"What made me sign was seeing the keenness of the club," Pennant said at the team's season launch. "Hopefully I can bring my quality from the EPL but I've also been quite surprised by how good the team here is. I know there'll be pressure on me to perform."
Also this week, another former Liverpool winger, Luis Garcia, arrived in Australia after his shock move to the A-League. Having signed for the rest of the season with Central Coast Mariners, the 37-year-old is expected to make his debut on Saturday when the Mariners host 2014 Asian champions, the Western Sydney Wanderers.
The Anfield careers of Pennant and Garcia overlapped during the 2006-07 campaign when Liverpool made the final of the UEFA Champions League, losing 2-1 to AC Milan. A serious knee injury excluded Garcia from the knockout stages, but the pair lined up together in several other games in different competitions.
"He's a fantastic lad and we had a great time at Liverpool together, with many laughs in the dressing room because he's a character -- in a good way," Garcia told ESPN FC.
"As a player, he was very good for Liverpool. His quick feet and fantastic crossing made him a great winger, also scoring some cracking goals."
The two also crossed paths in the Indian Super League at the end of 2014. Pennant's FC Pune City finished a disappointing sixth in the eight-team league while Garcia won the ISL's Most Exciting Player award, although injury concerns meant that he was an unused substitute as his side, Atletico de Kolkata, defeated Kerala Blasters 1-0 in the final.
"We met again in the ISL and talked about our time in Liverpool ... good old memories," Garcia said.
That was the last taste of competitive football for the Spaniard, who has played only in exhibition and testimonial games since then. Earlier this month, he scored two goals for the Liverpool Legends in the 4-0 victory over the Socceroos Legends in Sydney. But as former Australia forward Joel Griffiths noted, it is difficult to make any judgment on Garcia's A-League potential based on recent performances.
"He played in the Legends game and he played pretty well, but he was up against a 52-year-old Alex Tobin," Griffiths told Fox Sports News.
"He's also played in the Indian League, which is arguably on par with our state leagues."
Even so, Pennant predicted that Garcia would be able to hold his own in the A-League.
"Age won't be a factor for Luis in Australia because he's still a good player," Pennant said.
"I think it's great for football in this region that two ex-Liverpool players are playing for Asian clubs."
After providing assists off the bench in his first two trial games for Tampines, Pennant was expected to make his competitive debut in Garcia's former base of Kolkata in an AFC Champions League preliminary round match against Mohun Bagan on Jan. 27. But Tampines management revealed later this week that Pennant had not been registered in time for their opening game in regional competition.
"I've not set any targets in terms of trophies this season with Jermaine here," Tampines chairman Krishna Ramachandra said. "The primary goal is to support Singapore football and bring back the passion and belief."
With reports circulating about Pennant's S$40,000 per month salary, Krishna refused to confirm the amount, only saying "it's a sexy figure."
With a deal imminent last week, Pennant's wife had inquired on Twitter about the cost of shipping cars from the UK to Singapore.
But at Tuesday's launch, Pennant was handed the keys to a brand new Hyundai Veloster by former national team striker Noh Alam Shah, who is now employed by the club's main sponsor on Singapore's auto alley at Alexandra Road.
There's much fanfare and great expectations for both Pennant and Garcia, who will make their competitive debuts for their new clubs within four days of each other. Now it's up to the former fast men to show that there's still mileage in their 30-something legs.