Dani Alves labels Pumas debut as 'very special'

Dani Alves finally made his long awaited debut with Pumas in the 1-1 draw against Mazatlan FC.

The ex-Barcelona player wasted no time on the pitch, providing the assist to teammate Nicolás Freire for the 90th minute goal that propelled the team to one point.

After the match, Alves thanked Pumas and fans for the overwhelming support that saw a completely sold out Estadio Olimpico Universitario cheer him on. 

"It is very special to be able to live this experience, this championship, this institution, these people who always show a very special affection for me, I am very sorry not to help achieve victory, but this is football. You have to work, do things better, you have to be more solid and climb positions," he said to TUDN. 

"You can see that it is a championship with a lot of transition with many comings and goings and we have to try to practice a different soccer, we have people of great quality, young but with a lot of personality."

The newest Pumas player went on to reveal that few training sessions with the club made the debut complicated, vowing to improve as he gets to know his teammates and staff. 

"A little difficult due to the circumstances, but little by little I am getting to know my teammates, I am understanding how they play, how they like the passes, it is a complicated game because the goal resisted us and the only one they had was scored, but the team he went forward, he has looked for the tie, perhaps we have deserved a little more," Alves insisted.

"You have to keep going because this is a long one, you have to understand the championship, understand your opponents and from there keep adding things, keep fighting for the team and for all the people who come here to support you."

The draw puts Pumas in seventh place on the table, with seven points in five games and a record of 1W-0L-4D. But Alves believes the team capable of overtaking Monterrey at the top, slowly working towards improvement every day.

"The team wants to do things, it's daring, it's on the right foot, we need a little more solidity, not play so much in transition, start adding wins, that's what you have to do especially when you're at home. It is a team in process, a young team, but one that has a lot of courage, a lot of desire to do incredible things in this championship," he said.

With so much of the 2022 Liga MX Apertura left, anything can happen.