Last Wednesday (24), Al Sadd confirmed the Qatar Stars League title with a round in advance, by beating Al Shamal 4-0. Scorer of the last winning goal, left-back Paulo Otavio he was present in all the games of the conquest, obtained in his first year at the club – which, with 17 national titles, is the greatest champion in the Middle Eastern country.
Formed not Athletico Paranaensethe 29-year-old Brazilian left early for European football and spent six seasons in German football, where he played for Ingolstadt and Wolfsburg, before joining Al Sadd in 2023. At the new club, the full-back was a starter in all 21 games until winning the title, missing just 7 minutes and contributing 2 goals and 4 assists in the campaign.
But how does Al Sadd, a team without international stars, manage to stand out in a league full of big stars? Paulo Otavio responds: “Really, our squad doesn’t have big stars, if you compare it to Al Duhail, which has a star like Philippe Coutinho, or Al Arabi, which has Marco Verratti, for example. But I think Al Sadd makes the smartest investments in the league, without a doubt. We have a very homogeneous squad, which includes, for example, 6 starters from the Qatar team that recently won the Asian Cup twice”.
The Brazilian states that there is a lot of talent available, even in names with less media impact: “Our team has (Gonzalo) Plata, from the Ecuador national team, (Mateus) Uribe, from the Colombian national team and Akram Afif, who perhaps today is the best player in Asian football. I was able to play for years in the Bundesliga, compete in the Champions League and I feel that this makes a big difference in continuing to play at a high level wherever I go. We also have Guilherme, ex-Corinthians, and Giovane, who came from Palmeiras and the youth teams. AND
a well thought out project.”
The Brazilian presence, in fact, is a trademark of the Qatar Stars League. In addition to Paulo Otavio, Brazil has 13 other athletes who competed in this edition of the competition and is by far the country that provides the most foreigners to the Qatari league. Well-known names such as Philippe Coutinho, Rafinha Alcântara, Lucas Veríssimo, Róger Guedes, Thiago Mendes, Lyanco and Gabriel Pereira were all present in Qatar’s 2023/24 season, and the tendency is for this number to increase.
“These are players who only brighten the league, as well as Europeans like Verratti, Javi Martínez, Draxler and Rodrigo. Playing in World Cup stadiums and facing guys at that level every week is something that motivates you to always be at your best”, says Paulo Otavio. “From what I see, Qatar is increasingly looking at the Brazilian market, and is looking for players who are at their peak, to live their best years here”, he concludes.
o lateral.
Source: Gazetaesportiva
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