The National's Sport cover for the Friday, August 14 issue, featuring new Al Jazira signee Jefferson Farfan as he was introduced in Abu Dhabi by the Arabian Gulf League club.
Matt Smith attended the introduction at the Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium, where Peru international Farfan said it was an “honour to be here”.
“I heard of Al Jazira from a friend of mine. It is a new challenge that I accept and want to take this team back to where they belong. Their proper place.
“The investment in the sport here is amazing. They put such passion behind everything they do. I always accept challenges, and this is one more.”
Deflecting the argument that a move to the UAE represents an effective sunset to a career that has taken him to PSV Eindhoven in the Netherlands’s Eredivisie and Schalke in Germany’s Bundesliga, the 30-year-old Farfan said:
“I have seen [Asamoah] Gyan use this league to further his career, I have seen Manuel Lanzini go from here to the Premier League and West Ham United.
“Many players come over here and build their careers over three or four years. I will use the next three or four years to do the same and make myself a better player.”
Farfan, a third-place finisher at the 2015 Copa America with Peru, called on Abu Dhabi to support ambitious Jazira ahead of the 2015/16 season.
“This year Al Jazira will be different. We will add value and we will be one of the best in the league and, of course, try to win the title.
“But we cannot do it alone, we need the fans to be behind us also. We need the fans to be with us every single match.”
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