Al Rayyan player Gabriel Mercado spoke to QSL Website on the 2019-20 season Media Day organised by the Qatar Stars League for QNB Stars League players.

“I couldn’t play our first match due to suspension as I had five yellow cards from my former team Sevilla in the Spanish La Liga. I had a great time with Sevilla, playing for three seasons. Before that, I represented River Plate in my native country Argentina for five seasons. And also, Estudiantes and Racing Club.

“I’m happy to be playing in the QNB Stars League and representing Al Rayyan. I could make out that the league competition is strong. The facilities are good and players have high quality. This is a nice country with good people. I just think that I’ve made a good choice.

“In Al Rayyan, we’ve a good team with outstanding players. There’re some new players as well. We all are working well with the aim of collecting as many points as possible. My main target is to have a good season and help Al Rayyan clinch one trophy.

“We had to draw our first match against Umm Salal. It was hard at the very beginning of the season. Hopefully, we’ll get down to business from the second round onwards.

“I’ve had great experience playing alongside (Lionel) Messi in the Argentinian national team. He’s a unique player. And the best player around, I would say. In fact, it’s a motivation for team-mates to be playing alongside him,” said Mercado.