Football: Alves urges Guardiola to stay

MADRID: Barcelona defender Dani Alves said he hopes Pep Guardiola will stay on as coach of the Spanish champions after his contract with the club expires at the end of next season.

Guardiola, 40, hinted he may leave the club in an interview this month, saying, “I think my time is ending here in Barcelona”. However, Alves said he and the rest of the squad want him to stay on. “We follow him with our eyes shut. He is very intelligent, he always knows what he is doing. To not follow Guardiola would be foolish.”



Published in The Express Tribune, April 19^th, 2011.