Dani Alves had thoroughly thumbed through his guidebook to the French capital in time for his unveiling as Paris Saint-Germain’s latest, eye-catching recruit.
“Paris,” Alves declared, “is the city of love, the most beautiful city in the world.” Then he paused. “I’m here to make my contribution to bringing the club to the level of the city.”
Paris in high summer is indeed seductive, its streets less crowded because so many residents are away on holiday, its gardens in flower.
Alves, the much-travelled serial collector of titles, already feels at home, thanks to his spectacular goal, a long-range free-kick, in the French Super Cup win over Monaco. That trophy was the 34th of his astonishing replete career.
Alves, an extrovert, finds himself surrounded in his new dressing room by friends he has known for many years. Being Brazilian at the wealthy, ambitious Ligue 1 superclub is to be in a dominant clique. If, as widely expected, Neymar follows Alves into the club, they might consider renaming themselves Paris Samba-Germain.
Neymar or not, hiring Alves is already a coup for PSG, whose executives purr with satisfaction that the dynamic former Barcelona full-back with the habits of a playmaking attacking midfielder turned down interest from Manchester City to choose France as his next stop.
When Alves remarked, “I am sorry if City feel disappointed I chose PSG. But this club is putting together a great effort to win the [Uefa] Champions League.”
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Alves has won three of those, with Barcelona, and he was part of the Juventus side who finished second to Real Madrid in the competition’s final in June. His goals and assists in the semi-final against Monaco confirmed that, at 34, he is as influential and energetic as ever.
He remains keen to add plenty to his century of Brazil caps, too, and his compatriots, in this, a World Cup season, will follow PSG’s campaign with especially close interest.
Potentially, no club provides a stronger template for how Brazil approach Russia 2018, a tournament for which they have qualified in some style.
PSG’s defence might well make up 75 per cent of Brazil’s by next June, with Alves the tireless patroller and creator on the right flank, and Thiago Silva, the PSG captain, and Marquinhos manning the central positions. The veteran Brazilian left-back Maxwell has announced his retirement, but he is expected to remain a part of PSG’s management team.
It should not be underestimated how persuasive he was in enticing Alves, who joined from Juve on a free transfer, to Paris. The pair are close, having spent many years as colleagues at Barcelona.
Alves, who will bring his extensive playlist to pre-match preparations in the Parc des Princes, will find the dressing room bows to the authority of not only Silva, but also of Thiago Motta, the Brazil-born midfielder who chose to represent Italy as a senior international.
Motta, once of Barcelona, has added his voice to those of Maxwell and Alves in recommending that Neymar join them. At PSG, he would share a forward line with Lucas Moura, the pacey winger with whom Neymar coincided in Brazil’s silver-medal Olympic team in 2012.
So that is five PSG men for Tite, Brazil’s manager, to keep an eye on over the next 10 months. He will be mindful that national teams who function around a spine of established club colleagues come into major tournaments with advantages.
The Italy squad which won the 2006 World Cup had their Juventus stripes prominent. Spain’s 2010 World Cup triumph was heavily indebted to their many Barcelona players. Germany won the last World Cup with a strong Bayern Munich accent.
And Paris, the city of love, as Alves described it, loves Brazilians. PSG fans of a certain age will recall how the midfielder Rai ran their show in the 1990s. They recall Ronaldinho’s youthful brilliance in their colours at the turn of this millennium.
But they are also sore right now. PSG, despite their vast budget, finished second in Ligue 1 in 2016/17. They lost to Barcelona, dramatically, in the last 16 of the Champions League.
Their boys from Brazil are expected to raise standards, and fast.
Score
Third Test, Day 2
New Zealand 274
Pakistan 139-3 (61 ov)
Pakistan trail by 135 runs with 7 wickets remaining in the innings
DIVINE%20INTERVENTOIN
%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%20Elia%20Suleiman%2C%20Manal%20Khader%2C%20Amer%20Daher%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Elia%20Suleiman%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%204.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
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The 12 Syrian entities delisted by UK
Ministry of Interior
Ministry of Defence
General Intelligence Directorate
Air Force Intelligence Agency
Political Security Directorate
Syrian National Security Bureau
Military Intelligence Directorate
Army Supply Bureau
General Organisation of Radio and TV
Al Watan newspaper
Cham Press TV
Sama TV
The%20specs
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Monster Hunter: World
Capcom
PlayStation 4, Xbox One
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Transmission: ten-speed
Power: 420bhp
Torque: 624Nm
Price: Dh325,125
On sale: Now
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
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ICC T20 Team of 2021
Jos Buttler, Mohammad Rizwan, Babar Azam, Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, David Miller, Tabraiz Shamsi, Josh Hazlewood, Wanindu Hasaranga, Mustafizur Rahman, Shaheen Afridi
Wednesday's results
Finland 3-0 Armenia
Faroes Islands 1-0 Malta
Sweden 1-1 Spain
Gibraltar 2-3 Georgia
Romania 1-1 Norway
Greece 2-1 Bosnia and Herzegovina
Liechtenstein 0-5 Italy
Switzerland 2-0 Rep of Ireland
Israel 3-1 Latvia
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
'Nightmare Alley'
Director:Guillermo del Toro
Stars:Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara
Rating: 3/5
THE DRAFT
The final phase of player recruitment for the T10 League has taken place, with UAE and Indian players being drafted to each of the eight teams.
Bengal Tigers
UAE players: Chirag Suri, Mohammed Usman
Indian: Zaheer Khan
Karachians
UAE players: Ahmed Raza, Ghulam Shabber
Indian: Pravin Tambe
Kerala Kings
UAE players: Mohammed Naveed, Abdul Shakoor
Indian: RS Sodhi
Maratha Arabians
UAE players: Zahoor Khan, Amir Hayat
Indian: S Badrinath
Northern Warriors
UAE players: Imran Haider, Rahul Bhatia
Indian: Amitoze Singh
Pakhtoons
UAE players: Hafiz Kaleem, Sheer Walli
Indian: RP Singh
Punjabi Legends
UAE players: Shaiman Anwar, Sandy Singh
Indian: Praveen Kumar
Rajputs
UAE players: Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed
Indian: Munaf Patel
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
UJDA CHAMAN
Produced: Panorama Studios International
Directed: Abhishek Pathak
Cast: Sunny Singh, Maanvi Gagroo, Grusha Kapoor, Saurabh Shukla
Rating: 3.5 /5 stars
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