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Wellington Phoenix forward Ulises Dávila has received the captaincy in his second season.
Like many of his teammates at Wellington Phoenix, Mexican star Ulises Dávila had offers to play elsewhere after his stellar A-League season last year.
But when his agent informed him of the outside interest at the end of the 2019-20 season, Dávila made it clear that his intention was to return to Phoenix to see the final year of his contract.
He said he felt indebted to Ufuk Talay for throwing a punt on him when other coaches failed, after failing to ignite the Indian Super League for a brief period with Delhi Dynamos.
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“When all these things started happening, I said to Uffie, ‘Uffie, if you want me to come back, I will do my best to come back.’ My family is happy there and I am happy there. Sure, you always hear these things, but in my mind it was always to go back to the Phoenix, ”said Dávila.
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“Uffie trusted me when other people might not. He gave me that confidence, so I said that I really want to complete my contract and respect my contract, and when my contract is up we will see what’s next, but in my mind it was always to complete the contract and come back to finish the job. “
After staying at the club, the mercurial Dávila was named Phoenix captain for 2020-21. Although puzzled by Talay’s decision, the 29-year-old said he was honored to succeed Steven Taylor as captain.
He will soon be joined by his wife and son, who are currently in New Zealand serving two weeks in administered isolation before traveling to Australia, which should also give him a boost off the pitch.
Hagen Hopkins / Getty Images
Ulises Dávila dodges Sydney midfielder Paulo Retre.
“It is very important to be with them because my son is only nine months old. [old], and I’ve been away from him for four months or more. It’s hard. I also love football, but I sure want to have my family here so that I can enjoy this beautiful country like we did in New Zealand ”.
Davila scored 12 goals for Phoenix last season, making it the most prolific streak of his professional career. But heading into the new season, he said he was aiming for more assists and was excited to join new forward Tomer Hemed, a player he believed has the potential to make a big impact.
The Israeli international has joined Phoenix after a season with England’s Championship club Charlton Athletic, but previously played for Brighton and Hove Albion, helping them gain promotion to the Premier League before making 16 appearances in the highest category.
Dávila said the pair have already formed a connection off the pitch as Hemed speaks Spanish, having spent five years living in Spain when he played for La Liga clubs Mallorca and Almería between 2011 and 2015.
Ryan Pierse / Getty Images
Ulises Davila is brought down by Alexander Baumjohann of Sydney.
“He is an incredible guy. He can speak Spanish so it’s easy for me. We have been talking a lot and we have a good friendship, and I said ‘Tomer you have to score a lot of goals’. But I think he is a great player, he has shown it and it will be incredible for us, ”said Dávila.
“He is excited to be here and has the same ambition as everyone. He has the ambition to make an impact and be one of the best players in the league and without a doubt the top scorer. We are happy to have him here. “
Despite losing Taylor, Liberato Cacace, Gary Hooper and Matti Steinmann in the offseason and having to move to Wollongong due to travel restrictions between Australia and New Zealand, Dávila believed Phoenix still had the experience and quality to ride. a serious challenge for the league title.
He said the main goal was to improve on third place from last season, which would guarantee a return to the playoffs for the third year in a row.
Ryan Pierse / Getty Images
Phoenix forward Ulises Dávila scored five goals from the spot last season.
“All the people said that we made history by being in third place last season and for sure the rest because Covid-19 did not help us, but it is no excuse and this season we will try to be among the top six and our ambition is the same; have a better year than the previous and try to be in second place.
“But the main objective is to get to the playoffs and look for the championship. We don’t start from anything like last season. We are in a good position ”.
Phoenix open the season against defending champion Sydney FC at their foster home at WIN Stadium in Wollongong on Saturday night after their opening match against Brisbane Roar was postponed.
