Paris Saint-Germain’s Neymar, Dani Alves and Kylian Mbappe.
Global football icon Neymar Jr will lead the star cast when European giants Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) land in Doha today for their annual mid-season Qatar Winter Tour training camp, it was announced yesterday.
The Brazilian striker, who signed for the French giants just before the start of the new football season in August, is expected to be joined by Uruguayan forward Edinson Cavani and French star Kylian Mbappe as the team spends time in Qatar.
The French champions, who are currently leading Ligue 1 and have also qualified for last 16 stage of Champions League after a remarkable run in group stage, will be arriving following their game against SM Caen which was played last night.
PSG’s Qatar Winter Tour is yet another opportunity for football fans in Qatar to meet and greet the superstars of the club, owned by their country.
During the short camp which will culminate on December 23, PSG will hold training at the world-class Aspire Zone facilities while several of French club’s players are also expected to try spearfishing which is a popular local sport.
Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) has also arranged the team’s visits to Msheireb Museums; as well as safari to country’s magnificent Inland Sea.
Nasser Al Khelaifi, Chairman and CEO of PSG, hoped his team will benefit from the tour as always.
“We are excited to return to Qatar for this new winter tour. The team wants to benefit from training in the country’s warm winter weather and its remarkable facilities in Aspire Zone. Our team always enjoy visiting Qatar, experiencing first-hand the culture, visiting various sites and witnessing the developments in its infrastructure and offerings since our last visit,” Al Khelaifi said in a statement released yesterday.
Hassan Al Ibrahim, Acting Chairman at QTA, said: “We are delighted to be hosting the Paris Saint-Germain squad in Qatar once again. We hope the players will enjoy exploring what our country has to offer, from state-of-the art sport facilities to authentic tourist experiences.”
Since 2012, QTA and PSG have worked on a strategic partnership to promote Qatar’s sport and leisure tourism offerings. QTA has hosted several tours for PSG teams, including the Qatar Handball Tour 2014 and 2015, the Qatar Ladies Tour 2015 and the Qatar Winter Tour in 2013 and 2015.
A further aspect of this partnership affords QTA the continuous presence at PSG’s home stadium in Paris where thousands of football fans experience a flavour of Qatari culture and hospitality through interaction with Qatari cultural and heritage offerings.
“Our partnership with Paris Saint-Germain has been invaluable to our promotion efforts, helping us spread understanding of Qatar and its offerings in France and even beyond our traditional markets,” Al Ibrahim said.
“This year in particular we are looking forward to leverage the team’s growing following to spread our message of welcome to the world, following the decision to grant visa-free entry to 80 nationalities,” he added.
