PSG: In the footsteps of Danilo Pereira – LFP

With 75 Ligue 1 Uber Eats appearances and nine goals to his name over the last three seasons, Danilo Pereira has become a key man at the Parc des Princes since arriving from Porto in 2020.Despite often being played out of position as a central defender, the burly midfielder has simply gotten on with the job and thus carved out a place for himself at the club – and in the hearts of the fans. But it took a long road to get here…”There are many stories to tell,” Pereira told PSGTV. “There have been many trips and many sacrifices and we have managed to build a very beautiful story all together.” [embedded content]

Sacrifice
A story that begins in Guinea Bissau with a first journey – a first sacrifice. “I had to leave Danilo in Guinea when he was only two years old,” explained Pereira’s mother Quinta Djata. “He lived with my mother and me. I left to try to find better living conditions. So Danilo stayed with my mother in Guinea. And then my mother died and he stayed with my sisters. Then, after three years alone in Portugal, I came back for him. And at that time he was already five years old.” That must have been difficult for a young Danilo, but he clearly understood the assignment.”Her objective was always to get us away from the life we had in Guinea,” he explained. “What we had there in terms of comfort was very basic and she wanted more. She wanted me to have more in my life. So she left for Lisbon to try to get us a better life.”And it was difficult for Djata too.
“When I found him, he didn’t recognise me,” she recalled. “When I went to pick him up, it was at the airport, he didn’t know me then. There weren’t all these means of communication that exist today. There weren’t as many mobile phones. And all these sophisticated things. But it worked out and we found each other. Life wasn’t easy. I’m a nurse and I work a lot. I had two jobs at two different hospitals – and he was often at home on his own.” The calling
Danilo found comfort and refuge in football. “Since he was a little boy, he’s always loved playing with a ball,” recalled Djata. “When I was here and he was in Guinea, I would send him gifts, and he would always ask for the same thing: a ball. And then, when he joined me here, it continued. He played all the time. Sometimes he would go out in the street and play with his friends in the neighbourhood.”The start of something? Yes, but slowly…”I had friends in the neighbourhood who played football for a club,” said Danilo. “And one day they asked me to come with them. I went there but just to watch them train.””He didn’t want to play at first,” laughed Pereira’s first coach, Senhor Rui. “He was there on the sideline with the other kids. But he didn’t dare to come and play with the ball. I went up to him and threw him a ball, and asked him if he wanted to join in. And then he started to hesitate. Eventually he agreed, and that’s how it all started.”His mother could see right away that his love for the beautiful game was strong… “He was always convinced he’d become a professional footballer,” explained Djata. “He even said he’d play for the Portuguese national team one day.” What it takes
And Senhor Rui felt that the young Danilo had the mettle he needed.
“He had a strong character,” explained the coach. “But he was always very responsible. He was a good kid who always behaved well. In fact, he was always an example for the others here at Arsenal 72 – even for the older kids. He was always the captain of my team – he always wore the armband because he was a leader even then.”And he was already starting to attract attention. “Benfica wanted him when he was just nine, but he didn’t go because the club couldn’t organise transport for him,” explained Rui. “It’s about 20km from here to the training centre in Lisbon… and at the age of 9, he couldn’t go on his own.”The scenic route
His time would come though. At 14, he joined Estoril, a club in the suburbs of Lisbon, before finally getting picked up by the Benfica academy. But after three years at the academy, Danilo was released – and a new journey commenced. “He went to Italy, to Parma, then to Greece, then to Holland with Roda JC, and he never gave up,” explained Djata. “For him, it was perhaps not difficult because what he wanted to do was to play football, but for me it was very hard. I could see that he wasn’t ready to leave at 18 and live alone. But in the end he managed on his own.”After crossing Europe, Danilo returned to Portugal, to Maritimo, before catching the eye of FC Porto and stepping up to the next level. “He was successful in Porto,” she noted. “The fans loved him very much and he was the captain of the club. A great source of pride. And then, he joined Paris. A real blessing. It was a big step for him because Paris Saint-Germain is not just any club, it’s a very big club.”
Accomplished
[embedded content]
A team in which the Portuguese has carved out a place for three seasons now. Danilo has established himself as a key figure, a player who always steps up – an accomplished footballer and an accomplished man. “He has always chased his dream and that’s what we should all do,” said Djata. “When we want to become someone, when we want to reach a certain level, we have to chase that dream. We have to fight. That’s what he did, it got him to where he is now. That’s something he can be very proud of.”So what does Danilo feel about the sacrifices and efforts made by all concerned?”I’m proud, it’s true, not only proud of me, but proud of them,” he smiled. “They are very important people in my life. People who will always be by my side.”

With 75 Ligue 1 Uber Eats appearances and nine goals to his name over the last three seasons, Danilo Pereira has become a key man at the Parc des Princes since arriving from Porto in 2020.

Despite often being played out of position as a central defender, the burly midfielder has simply gotten on with the job and thus carved out a place for himself at the club – and in the hearts of the fans. But it took a long road to get here…

“There are many stories to tell,” Pereira told PSGTV. “There have been many trips and many sacrifices and we have managed to build a very beautiful story all together.”

Sacrifice

A story that begins in Guinea Bissau with a first journey – a first sacrifice.

“I had to leave Danilo in Guinea when he was only two years old,” explained Pereira’s mother Quinta Djata. “He lived with my mother and me. I left to try to find better living conditions. So Danilo stayed with my mother in Guinea. And then my mother died and he stayed with my sisters. Then, after three years alone in Portugal, I came back for him. And at that time he was already five years old.”

That must have been difficult for a young Danilo, but he clearly understood the assignment.

“Her objective was always to get us away from the life we had in Guinea,” he explained. “What we had there in terms of comfort was very basic and she wanted more. She wanted me to have more in my life. So she left for Lisbon to try to get us a better life.”

And it was difficult for Djata too.

“When I found him, he didn’t recognise me,” she recalled. “When I went to pick him up, it was at the airport, he didn’t know me then. There weren’t all these means of communication that exist today. There weren’t as many mobile phones. And all these sophisticated things. But it worked out and we found each other. Life wasn’t easy. I’m a nurse and I work a lot. I had two jobs at two different hospitals – and he was often at home on his own.”

The calling

Danilo found comfort and refuge in football.

“Since he was a little boy, he’s always loved playing with a ball,” recalled Djata. “When I was here and he was in Guinea, I would send him gifts, and he would always ask for the same thing: a ball. And then, when he joined me here, it continued. He played all the time. Sometimes he would go out in the street and play with his friends in the neighbourhood.”

The start of something? Yes, but slowly…

“I had friends in the neighbourhood who played football for a club,” said Danilo. “And one day they asked me to come with them. I went there but just to watch them train.”

“He didn’t want to play at first,” laughed Pereira’s first coach, Senhor Rui. “He was there on the sideline with the other kids. But he didn’t dare to come and play with the ball. I went up to him and threw him a ball, and asked him if he wanted to join in. And then he started to hesitate. Eventually he agreed, and that’s how it all started.”

His mother could see right away that his love for the beautiful game was strong…

“He was always convinced he’d become a professional footballer,” explained Djata. “He even said he’d play for the Portuguese national team one day.”

What it takes

And Senhor Rui felt that the young Danilo had the mettle he needed.

“He had a strong character,” explained the coach. “But he was always very responsible. He was a good kid who always behaved well. In fact, he was always an example for the others here at Arsenal 72 – even for the older kids. He was always the captain of my team – he always wore the armband because he was a leader even then.”

And he was already starting to attract attention.

“Benfica wanted him when he was just nine, but he didn’t go because the club couldn’t organise transport for him,” explained Rui. “It’s about 20km from here to the training centre in Lisbon… and at the age of 9, he couldn’t go on his own.”

The scenic route

His time would come though. At 14, he joined Estoril, a club in the suburbs of Lisbon, before finally getting picked up by the Benfica academy. But after three years at the academy, Danilo was released – and a new journey commenced.

“He went to Italy, to Parma, then to Greece, then to Holland with Roda JC, and he never gave up,” explained Djata. “For him, it was perhaps not difficult because what he wanted to do was to play football, but for me it was very hard. I could see that he wasn’t ready to leave at 18 and live alone. But in the end he managed on his own.”

After crossing Europe, Danilo returned to Portugal, to Maritimo, before catching the eye of FC Porto and stepping up to the next level.

“He was successful in Porto,” she noted. “The fans loved him very much and he was the captain of the club. A great source of pride. And then, he joined Paris. A real blessing. It was a big step for him because Paris Saint-Germain is not just any club, it’s a very big club.”

Accomplished

A team in which the Portuguese has carved out a place for three seasons now. Danilo has established himself as a key figure, a player who always steps up – an accomplished footballer and an accomplished man.

“He has always chased his dream and that’s what we should all do,” said Djata. “When we want to become someone, when we want to reach a certain level, we have to chase that dream. We have to fight. That’s what he did, it got him to where he is now. That’s something he can be very proud of.”

So what does Danilo feel about the sacrifices and efforts made by all concerned?

“I’m proud, it’s true, not only proud of me, but proud of them,” he smiled. “They are very important people in my life. People who will always be by my side.”

Agriculture

Zim takes investment opportunities to Türkiye indaba – The Herald

Africa Moyo Deputy News Editor
Zimbabwe’s investment opportunities will take centre-stage during the 4th Türkiye-Africa Business Forum where Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister Ambassador Frederick Shava is expected to lead the country’s delegation.
The economic business forum is set for Thursday and Friday next week at the Istanbul Congress Center in Istanbul.
In an interview yesterday, Zimbabwe’s Ambassador to Türkiye, Alfred Mutiwazuka, confirmed Harare’s participation.
He said Zimbabwe’s delegation will comprise officials from ZimTrade, the Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries (CZI), Government institutions and private sector companies.
“In line with Zimbabwe`s engagement and re-engagement drive, Minister Shava will have a meeting with Professor Dr Omer Bolat, Minister of Trade of the Republic of Türkiye to discuss among other issues: the Trade and Economic Cooperation Agreement signed in 2018 and ratified by Türkiye in February 2022 and implementation of the Agreement to Establish the Türkiye-Zimbabwe Business Council signed in 2016 by the CZI and Türkiye’s Foreign Economic Relations Board,” said Ambassador Mutiwazuka.
“The Minister will engage players in the agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transport and infrastructure sectors with a view to inviting them to invest in Zimbabwe.”
Ambassador Shava is also expected to participate in a panel on “Türkiye and Opportunities under the AfCFTA”, a topic that the Turkish authorities have shown great interest in, as they advance Türkiye-Africa cooperation.
Some members of the Zimbabwe delegation will participate in other panel meetings on digital transformation, health technologies, sustainability of value chains in the agro-industries and manufacturing sectors, women entrepreneurship, free zones, the AfCFTA, financing of trade and investments and banking during the two-day conference.
Ambassador Mutiwazuka said the Türkiye-Africa Economic Business Forum offers mutual benefits to both Africa and Türkiye, through increased economic cooperation.
“The Forum demonstrates the emerging role of African countries as dynamic players in the global business arena. African countries and Zimbabwe, in particular, benefit from the increasing economic development of Türkiye economic cooperation hinged on the ‘win-win’ principle,” he said.
Africa benefits from this forum in various ways including facilitating increased trade and investment between Africa and Türkiye by promoting economic relations and encouraging Turkish businesses to invest on the continent.
Increased investments are expected to lead to job creation, infrastructure development, and increased revenue for African nations.
African countries are also expected to benefit from infrastructure development since Türkiye has expertise in infrastructure projects such as construction, transportation, and energy.
Through the forum, Africa can benefit from Turkish investments and technologies, which address crucial infrastructure gaps in many African countries.
Türkiye also has experience in the manufacturing and industrial sectors, which can be shared with African nations to enhance their own industrialisation efforts.
President Mnangagwa has reiterated that Zimbabwe is on an unrestrained path to industrialisation and modernisation, and the country is expected to benefit from its participation in the business forum.
It is expected that collaboration with Türkiye in the manufacturing and industrial sectors can help Africa develop local industries, reduce import dependency, and create employment opportunities.
With many countries experiencing food shortages, it is expected that through participation in the business forum, African countries will benefit Türkiye’s advanced agricultural technologies — machinery and implements — and knowledge that help to improve productivity, increase food security, and enhance agricultural value chains.
This knowledge transfer can contribute to sustainable agricultural development in Africa.
The Türkiye -Africa Economic Business Forum also promotes tourism and cultural exchanges and investment in the tourism industry, thereby creating employment opportunities, and fostering cultural understanding.
African Union Commissioner for Economic Development, Trade, Tourism, Industry and Minerals, Ambassador Albert Muchanga has said this year’s Türkiye-Africa Economic and Business Forum convenes against the background of global challenges of climate change and its adverse impact of heat waves, flooding and drought, inflation, geopolitical tensions, food and energy insecurity as well as the lingering Covid-19 pandemic is some parts of the world.
But he said while this is a period of multiple challenges, it is also a period of opportunity and hope, and the “key lever is cooperation because it is a vital instrument in meeting the world’s complex challenges which no country or region can solve on its own”.
“The Türkiye-Africa Economic and Business Forum is a strategic lever in this regard,” said Ambassador Muchanga.

Africa Moyo Deputy News Editor

Zimbabwe’s investment opportunities will take centre-stage during the 4th Türkiye-Africa Business Forum where Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister Ambassador Frederick Shava is expected to lead the country’s delegation.

The economic business forum is set for Thursday and Friday next week at the Istanbul Congress Center in Istanbul.

In an interview yesterday, Zimbabwe’s Ambassador to Türkiye, Alfred Mutiwazuka, confirmed Harare’s participation.

He said Zimbabwe’s delegation will comprise officials from ZimTrade, the Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries (CZI), Government institutions and private sector companies.

“In line with Zimbabwe`s engagement and re-engagement drive, Minister Shava will have a meeting with Professor Dr Omer Bolat, Minister of Trade of the Republic of Türkiye to discuss among other issues: the Trade and Economic Cooperation Agreement signed in 2018 and ratified by Türkiye in February 2022 and implementation of the Agreement to Establish the Türkiye-Zimbabwe Business Council signed in 2016 by the CZI and Türkiye’s Foreign Economic Relations Board,” said Ambassador Mutiwazuka.

“The Minister will engage players in the agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transport and infrastructure sectors with a view to inviting them to invest in Zimbabwe.”

Ambassador Shava is also expected to participate in a panel on “Türkiye and Opportunities under the AfCFTA”, a topic that the Turkish authorities have shown great interest in, as they advance Türkiye-Africa cooperation.

Some members of the Zimbabwe delegation will participate in other panel meetings on digital transformation, health technologies, sustainability of value chains in the agro-industries and manufacturing sectors, women entrepreneurship, free zones, the AfCFTA, financing of trade and investments and banking during the two-day conference.

Ambassador Mutiwazuka said the Türkiye-Africa Economic Business Forum offers mutual benefits to both Africa and Türkiye, through increased economic cooperation.

“The Forum demonstrates the emerging role of African countries as dynamic players in the global business arena. African countries and Zimbabwe, in particular, benefit from the increasing economic development of Türkiye economic cooperation hinged on the ‘win-win’ principle,” he said.

Africa benefits from this forum in various ways including facilitating increased trade and investment between Africa and Türkiye by promoting economic relations and encouraging Turkish businesses to invest on the continent.

Increased investments are expected to lead to job creation, infrastructure development, and increased revenue for African nations.

African countries are also expected to benefit from infrastructure development since Türkiye has expertise in infrastructure projects such as construction, transportation, and energy.

Through the forum, Africa can benefit from Turkish investments and technologies, which address crucial infrastructure gaps in many African countries.

Türkiye also has experience in the manufacturing and industrial sectors, which can be shared with African nations to enhance their own industrialisation efforts.

President Mnangagwa has reiterated that Zimbabwe is on an unrestrained path to industrialisation and modernisation, and the country is expected to benefit from its participation in the business forum.

It is expected that collaboration with Türkiye in the manufacturing and industrial sectors can help Africa develop local industries, reduce import dependency, and create employment opportunities.

With many countries experiencing food shortages, it is expected that through participation in the business forum, African countries will benefit Türkiye’s advanced agricultural technologies — machinery and implements — and knowledge that help to improve productivity, increase food security, and enhance agricultural value chains.

This knowledge transfer can contribute to sustainable agricultural development in Africa.

The Türkiye -Africa Economic Business Forum also promotes tourism and cultural exchanges and investment in the tourism industry, thereby creating employment opportunities, and fostering cultural understanding.

African Union Commissioner for Economic Development, Trade, Tourism, Industry and Minerals, Ambassador Albert Muchanga has said this year’s Türkiye-Africa Economic and Business Forum convenes against the background of global challenges of climate change and its adverse impact of heat waves, flooding and drought, inflation, geopolitical tensions, food and energy insecurity as well as the lingering Covid-19 pandemic is some parts of the world.

But he said while this is a period of multiple challenges, it is also a period of opportunity and hope, and the “key lever is cooperation because it is a vital instrument in meeting the world’s complex challenges which no country or region can solve on its own”.

“The Türkiye-Africa Economic and Business Forum is a strategic lever in this regard,” said Ambassador Muchanga.

Agriculture

Zim takes investment opportunities to Türkiye indaba – The Herald