Giovani dos Santos, New Player of the Galaxy
Mexican forward Giovani dos Santos has already arrived in Los Angeles, where he will be officially presented as the new player of the Galaxy, the current champion of the United States Professional Soccer League (MLS).
Dos Santos, 26 years old, has decided to sign with the Galaxy for four seasons and 18 million dollars, without his salary exceeding that of the two "designated players" on the team; Englishman Steven Gerrard, 37 years old, who will earn 6.3 million dollars, and Irishman Robbie Keane, 5.6 million dollars annually.
The Mexican international was welcomed at the Los Angeles airport by more than 200 fans, who sought his autograph and chanted support songs, something that surprised Dos Santos, who has already had to face the inconveniences of popularity.
Coming from Mexico City and involved in the controversy generated by the assault on a journalist in Philadelphia by the former coach of the Mexican national team, Miguel Herrera, whom he supported along with his brother Jonathan, the new Galaxy player generated delirium among his followers.
Dos Santos only said that he was surprised by the welcome and that he had recovered from the injury that prevented him from playing with Mexico in the semifinal and final matches of the Gold Cup, which the Mexican national team won after being favored in the previous matches by controversial refereeing decisions.
The new Galaxy player said that he was ready not only to join his new team, but also to be part of it and compete when the coach of the current league champion, Bruce Arena, deemed it appropriate.
After Dos Santos is introduced next Tuesday, the Galaxy will play a CONCACAF Champions League match against Central F.C. from Trinidad and Tobago on Thursday.
Arena is not expected to give him the opportunity to play, but he will have it next Sunday when they face the Seattle Sounders FC in a league match.
With nothing of interest to say upon his arrival in Los Angeles, it is expected that he will be in a better disposition at the official presentation. The only thing he made clear was that he was "physically" in "very good" condition.
The player's presentation will take place on Tuesday at the StubHub Center, when he will pose with his new colors and the number 10 that he will wear on his new Galaxy jersey.
Traditionally, that number has belonged to Landon Donovan, however, according to reports from the organization, Dos Santos will wear it at his own request.
Regarding the rest of Dos Santos' activities until the presentation on Tuesday, the team said that there will be none, and that he will rest at the hotel with the members of his family who have accompanied him, including his brother Jonathan.
Journalistic reports indicate that in the negotiations for Giovani Dos Santos' transfer to the Galaxy, there was an attempt to include his brother Jonathan, but ultimately it did not go through.
After his limited participation in the Gold Cup, Dos Santos had a few days of vacation in Mexico before traveling to Los Angeles.
The new player of Los Angeles went from being a prospect with a future within the FC Barcelona organization to starting a journey through various European teams such as Tottenham Hotspur, Ipswich Town, Galatasaray, Racing de Santander, Mallorca, and Villarreal, the latter three clubs of the Spanish league.