Kigali, 26 November 2021 – Today, Rwanda welcomed former Paris Saint- Germain star Raimundo Souza Veira de Oliveira, also known as Raí, for a three-day visit.  The trip is part of Visit Rwanda’s partnership with French football club Paris Saint- Germain. Rai will participate in the launch of PSG’s first academy in Rwanda, located in Huye District and will be the second PSG legend to Visit Rwanda since the partnership in 2019. He follows the footsteps of PSG legend Youri Djorkaeff who visited the country last year.

The PSG Legend is accompanied by his wife and will experience # Rwanda’s first-class hospitality. He is also joined by French social media entertainer Mr Boris Becker who is also in the country for the launch of the academy. They will travel to VolcanoesPark to see the mountain gorillas in their natural habitat and other exciting activities.

Speaking on arrival, the PSG legend said: “We are very excited to shine a light on the partnership between Visit Rwanda and Paris Saint-Germain and the opportunity it offers to develop Rwanda’s young sports talent. We also can’t wait to show you all that the Land of a Thousand Hills has to offer.

Born in Riberao Preto, Brazil, Rai joined Sao Paulo in 1987, where he became the centrepiece of the great team that won the Copa Libertadores (South American Champions League) in 1992 and 1993. He signed to Paris Saint-Germain in 1992 and won the World Cup with Brazil in 1994. He played 215 official games played at PSG, scoring 72 goals and 30 assists. He was recently voted the best player in the history of Paris Saint-Germain in a fan vote to mark the club’s 50th anniversary.

Raí’s trip comes after two seasons of the #VisitRwanda x PSG partnership as the club’s premium Partner. Even with Covid-19 restrictions, which slowed down travel and activities under the partnership, Visit Rwanda and PSG were still able to connect through creative content showcasing Rwanda as a must-see destination for tourists and football fans.

RDB’s Deputy CEO, Zephanie Niyonkuru, said:

“We are delighted to welcome PSG Legend Raí, his wife, Boris Becker and the whole group to Rwanda for this important occasion of launching the PSG Academy. The academy is one of our partnership’s flagship projects, which will contribute significantly to our national sports development efforts. We look forward to welcoming more of the PSG family to #VisitRwanda

ENDS

Learn more about the Visit Rwanda and Arsenal Football Club partnership at https://www.visitrwanda.com/paris-saint-germain/

For media enquiries contact: 

Doreen Ingabire, Head of Communications, Rwanda Development Board, Email: doreen.ingabire@rdb.rw  or on +250 789 525 598