Sunderland defender Omar Alderete will represent Paraguay at this summer's World Cup finals.
Sunderland star Omar Alderete has revealed his stellar first season at the Stadium of Light has given him confidence as he prepares to represent Paraguay at this summer’s World Cup finals in North America.
The former Basel and Hertha Berlin defender joined the Black Cats from La Liga club Getafe last summer and proved to be one of a number of shrewd additions as he helped provide a solid foundation for what would be a surprise push for a European place during the club’s first season back in the Premier League. Alderete made 34 appearances in all competitions during the campaign and scored his first goal for the club when he netted in a hard-earned win at Nottingham Forest in September.
An injury meant the 29-year-old remained on the bench for last week’s 2-1 home win against Chelsea as Regis Le Bris’ side officially claimed a place in next season’s Europa League - and his focus will now go on enjoying a successful World Cup with Paraguay after enjoying an extraordinary debut season on Wearside.
Alderete’s side face Nicaragua in a pre-tournament friendly next week before taking on co-hosts the United States, Turkey and Australia in the group stage of the tournament - and the Black Cats star believes his team-mates can start dreaming of what they can achieve during the summer months.
He told Versus Paraguay: “I finished a good season with my club, and that is important because it gives me confidence for what is coming. We are all feeling the same. Us on the pitch and the people outside it too. Everyone is anxious and waiting for the World Cup to arrive. I think we have a good team and a good group. The team recovered and showed that during the qualifiers. I think that was the important part of what we achieved in the qualifiers. I think if we do not dream ourselves and do not believe in ourselves, then we have nothing to do at the World Cup. We have to dream and start from there.”
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