Dani Alves leads the feline herd in the first UNAM Pumas practice

Brazilian winger Dani Alves was at the head of the Pumas UNAM platoon of Mexican soccer on Tuesday and made it clear in his first training session open to the press that he is the leader of the feline pack.

The winningest soccer player in history led the group in physical exercises and stretching, in what was his second practice with the Pumas, the first at the Olympic University Stadium, his new home.

Upon leaving the locker room tunnel to start training, Alves told reporters that the building, venue for the 1968 Mexico Olympic Games, is “wonderful and now it’s even better with me.”

After that, he greeted his teammates and set the tone in the first exercise in which he touched the ball for a few minutes to give way to physical work, in which he stood in front of more than a dozen cameras to show that he is the new leader of the pack.

Along with him were the other two Brazilians on the team, striker Diogo De Oliveira and midfielder Higor Meritao, as well as Mexican winger Efraín Velarde, one of the veterans and leaders of the squad.

Alves was always in the center and set the pace in physical activity, even Argentine defender Nicolás Freire, who usually wears the captain’s badge, preferred to go to the back of the pack to give prominence to the winner of three European Champions Leagues with the Spanish Barcelona.

Not even Argentine Eduardo Salvio, another of the Pumas’ star hires and a former Boca Juniors figure, dared to take charge of Alves.

In addition to showing that he is the new leader, the World Cup player in the World Cups in South Africa 2010 and Brazil 2014 proved that at 39 years of age he arrives in good physical condition by always performing the exercises to the fullest.

The two-time Copa América winner gave no sign that Mexico City’s altitude of over 2,200 meters above sea level weighed him down when sprinting.

The Brazilian aims to be the starting right-back for Argentine coach Andrés Lillini’s Pumas, who will put him in the squad so that his first game will be this Wednesday against Mazatlán FC on the fifth day of the Apertura 2022 tournament, which will be played at the Olympic Stadium.

Lillini suffered the loss of his usual right back in the last tournament, the Mexican Alan Mozo, who signed for Guadalajara.

Mozo’s departure and Alves’s interest in occupying that position in the Brazilian team that will play the Qatar 2022 World Cup will put the Brazilian on the right wing of the feline defense. (D)