Former Barcelona captain Carles Puyol will go up against old adversary Michel Salgado this weekend when they each mentor teams in the Du Football Champions finals.
The Du Football Champions comprises four categories — Boys Under-16, Boys Under-14, UAE Streets Cup and UAE Girls Challenge — with the finals set to take place on Saturday.
However, on Friday, each team competing in the final will receive mentoring from either Puyol or Salgado — former club rivals and international teammates with Spain. The teams will also be coached during the finals, which will be held at the Dubai Mall ice rink.
“In a short period of time, du Football Champions, in partnership with La Liga has taken youth football to new heights, producing pro-footballers for La Liga teams and attracting the attention of top clubs and teams locally and regionally,” Du CEO Osman Sultan said.
“Part of the groundbreaking duFC platform is providing gifted players exposure to the world’s best footballers. We make today the champions of tomorrow.”
Fernando Sanz, La Liga General Director in the Mena region and former Real Madrid player, has said the Du Football Champions programme is providing a perfect platform for football talent to shine in the UAE.
“We are proud that our partnership with du Football Champions has already produced LaLiga worthy talent in the UAE. We look forward to continuing to give top-notch youth footballers the opportunity to experience the best of Spanish football with La Liga legends, Puyol and Salgado, in addition to other longer-term programs such as the La Liga HPC, providing scouted talents with the highest-level training year-round. I am looking forward to the mentoring clinic and the Finals at Dubai Mall.”
Puyol’s teams:
Boys U16 — Mawakeb School Garhoud, Dubai
Boys U14 — British School Al Khubairat, Abu Dhabi
UAE Streets Cup — Al 7osani, Abu Dhabi
UAE Girls Challenge — Go Pro Sports, Dubai
Salgado’s teams:
Boys U16 — Al Ma’arifa International Private School, Sharjah
Boys U14 — Rashid bin Saeed School, Hatta
UAE Streets Cup — Ultimate XI, Dubai
UAE Girls Challenge — Adastra, Dubai
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