Trezeguet follows his heart to River Plate

Buenos Aires: Former Bani Yas striker David Trezeguet realised his dream when he joined a group of top flight players who have flocked to the cause of restoring relegated River Plate to the Argentine first division.

Trezeguet, who quit the Abu Dhabi club last month after a brief stay in the UAE Pro League, is realising a dream by playing for the club he has supported since his boyhood in Buenos Aires before embarking on a successful career as a striker with Monaco, Juventus and France. He said his passion for River and Argentine football was at the heart of his decision to join Fernando Cavenaghi and Alejandro Dominguez, who both cut short their careers abroad to return to help the club of their youth recover their top flight status.

"It was the ideal moment for me to return [to Argentina]," said the 34-year-old, who left Buenos Aires at 17 to go to France, where he was born to an Argentine footballer father in 1977.

"River are going through a very difficult time... I want to be part of the history [of their recovery]," he told a news conference, adding that he had signed a three-year contract.

"The South American [football] mentality is very different to the European. What I can experience here can be even better than all that. Being here is a unique feeling, motivated by everything that River represents."

Trezeguet said he equated River's situation with that of Juventus, who were relegated for match-fixing in 2006 and bounced back despite starting their Serie B season with a 17-point deduction, later amended to a nine-point deficit, as part of their punishment.