PETALING JAYA: Super League teams will literally face a tall order against Sabah this season.
The Rhinos’ latest signing, Gabriel Peres of Brazil (pic), has certainly made their fans crane their necks as the centreback is 1.98m tall (6’4”) and is expected to be the mainstay in defence.
Peres has been impressive in their pre-season friendlies, especially in the last three, where he scored three goals.
He is not the only imposing presence in Sabah as they do have several others who are over 1.8m (six feet) especially in defence in the likes of South Korea’s Park Tae-su at 1.85m, Dominic Tan and Irfan Zakaria both standing at 1.83m.
After having a taste of Malaysian football, the 25-year-old Peres is ready to shine in his first stint in Asia.
“It’s nice to be with a great team that have big goals,” said Peres, who aims to help Sabah achieve their top-three target to book an AFC Cup ticket.
“The fans have been excellent, you can see them thronging the stadium during friendlies. I’m looking forward to achieving something great with this club,” he added.
When asked about his style of play, Peres said he has the physical ability to make strong challenges and a threat in aerial duels.
“In addition to height and physicality, I have strengths in possession game, making sure we make good movements and quick attacks from the back,” he said.
However, there will be stiff competition for his position but Peres is not overly worried.
“We have the players to play a two or three-man defence, which to me, is the beauty of this team. The players have been putting in solid work during training and friendlies. We’ll be ready for the new season.”
Their first game of the season will be against Police at the Likas Stadium on Saturday.
