Salgado reveals why he decided on Dubai

Dubai: Former Spain and Real Madrid star Michel Salgado is basking in the Dubai sun after bringing down the curtain on an exciting football career.

“After I finished in England with Blackburn Rovers last season, we [my family and I] decided to move here to the Middle East as we really liked being here since coming to Dubai for the first time in 2003,” Salgado said during a chat with Gulf News during the Fina/Arena Swimming World Cup, which concluded at the Hamdan Bin Mohammad Sports Complex on Wednesday.

Nicknamed Il Due (meaning two in Italian) due to his combative tackling and attacking play, Salgado is now a television pundit covering the Spanish La Liga with the Doha-based television channel Al Jazira. “There was a lot of talk about me moving to Qatar, but I stuck to my guns as I wanted to be in the UAE,” he explained.

“Dubai was a regular trip for us with our families during the winter break, and since 2003 we have come here every single year. There were so many reasons for moving here.”