Earlier this month the news emerged that Dani Alvez, a right back for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and the Brazilian international football team, will be missing out on this year’s football World Cup.
Born Daniel Alvez de Silva, Dani will be kept out of the running by a cruciate ligament injury sustained whilst playing for PSG, for which he underwent surgery. The injury, sustained in the final of a prestigious French tournament, is one which often plagues footballers; the infamous Brian Clough cut short his career after a cruciate ligament injury.
The World Cup is due to be held in Russia this summer, and Alvez had been tipped by some to take the captaincy for the Brazilian team.
A doctor for the Brazilian Football Confederation said that Alvez would likely be out of action for around six months: “There is no mathematics. It’s around six months.”
“Of course, he was very upset. He’s a very experienced player, on the eve of the World Cup. He has a balance and strength. He wanted to know what he needed to do to play in the same condition he was before.
“He immediately turned the page to recover as fast as possible. He wants to recover as fast as possible.”
The right-back can at least take some comfort from the fact that he’s in esteemed company – legendary footballer and favourite on the books at our talent management agency Pele has experience of entering the tournament injured. In 1958 he played whilst injured in the World Cup, and he also suffered an injury during Brazil’s 1966 campaign.
He tweeted: “I am so sad to hear this. Footballers hate missing games but I know first-hand that missing #WorldCup games is the worst feeling.”
At 77, the footballer still takes an active interest in the current affairs of football and, in particular, his home country. As one of the most celebrated footballers of all time, he’s the perfect choice of celebrity guest for an event attended by lots of fans of – what Pele is said to have coined – the beautiful game.
In a career spanning more than two decades, Pele helped to secure three World Cup titles for his home country and became one of the world’s most famous faces in the process. His insights and experience are sure to make him an unmissable speaker for any audience.