Dyego Sousa: ‘It’s a pleasure to be at UD Almería; this is a great project’
The centre-forward, who was presented by Mohamed El Assy, stresses ‘I came to be part of the team, help and contribute my experience’
‘For me, it’s a pleasure to be at UD Almería; this is a great project,’ exclaimed summer signing Dyego Sousa at the presser of his official presentation as a new Rojiblanco player. UD Almeria General Manager Mohamed El Assy welcomed him and stated ‘we’ve been very lucky to be able to sign Dyego Sousa because he’s a top-level player. He’s a forward who has played with the Portugal squad and has been the league's top scorer in Portugal. We’ve also been fortunate that the conditions to sign him were met. He’s a footballer who was signed for a 15m € transfer to the Chinese League. We want to wish him the best of luck. We expect a lot from him. From now on, he has great responsibilities and we know that he can assume them.’
Dyego Wilverson Ferreira Sousa, born in São José de Ribamar 31 years ago, answered several questions from the media. When he was questioned about how he was physically, Sousa said ‘I was unemployed for a long time, but I never stopped working and training. I got here fine as the medical department found out. That’s why my physical adaptation and match fitness will be right as short as possible. I just need one more week to develop better technical skills.’
Dyego Sousa, who sincerely thanked the Club for the effort made, pointed out ‘I think we’re not only a very young team, but also a great one. I’m here to do my bit and be part of the team. I hope to help with my past experience as a footballer playing a lot and at a high level. I know I can help with that.’
Regarding LaLiga SmartBank, he stated ‘it’s a very competitive league and very different from the championships in which I have participated, even from the Second Tier in Portugal. I’m surprised because there’s more quality and more football here. The Second Tier in Portugal is more about direct football. I’m a player who can adapt here and help the team as soon as possible. At least, it’s what I’ve noticed during these days.’
The Brazilian-Portuguese also spoke of his experience in Asia: ‘In China, I signed before the pandemic, I was in the pre-season and they closed the borders due to Covid and I had to go back.’
The centre-forward commented that he has had offers from other countries such as Turkey, but he decided to join UD Almería in the end. Dyego Sousa arrives with the same burning enthusiasm as when he debuted with Portugal at the age of 19. He wants to return to the highest level, as he already demonstrated with the Portugal senior team, when he coincided with Cristiano Ronaldo: ‘It was one of my dreams. It was an incredible experience. Through UD Almeria and its project, I want to reach higher in football and be able to play with the best and return to the national team.’