Sunderland’s Omar Alderete reflects on Paraguay’s emotional return to the World Cup after 16 years

Paraguay are heading back to the World Cup for the first time since 2010 after securing qualification with a tense goalless draw against Ecuador – and Sunderland defender Omar Alderete says the achievement marks the start of “something bigger.”

The 28-year-old was emotional when reflecting on the journey to qualification, stressing how much the moment meant to the current squad and those who endured years of near misses. The centre-back joined the Black Cats during the summer transfer window from Getafe.

“I think Gustavo Gómez [Paraguay captain] has many more years here than I do and suffered much more than us, but we also felt it for a long time. Nobody wanted things to go like this, we wanted to change it, but unfortunately results didn’t come. Today we are in this position and we have to take care of it and enjoy it,” Alderete said.

The celebrations were extraordinary. Tens of thousands of fans lined the streets from Ypané to the Defensores del Chaco stadium – a 30km journey turned into a sea of red and white. Alderete admitted he had never seen anything like it.

“Impressive. I said it before as well, I think I never saw so many people like this. That’s really because the people were waiting for this for a long time, because there was a lot of suffering and it felt like a relief for everyone. Let them enjoy it, but be careful on the streets, because we already know how it can be,” he warned.

Alderete, who came through the ranks at Cerro Porteño before moving to Europe, insists Paraguay’s ambitions must go beyond simply qualifying. “This is the path, we are just starting and from today begins the construction of what the World Cup will be. We don’t only want to go there to compete, we want to go to fight for things,” he added.

What other Sunderland-related news is there?

Régis Le Bris has been handed a timely boost ahead of Sunderland’s Premier League clash with Crystal Palace as Luke O’Nien steps up his recovery.

The 29-year-old has been sidelined since dislocating his shoulder in the opening minutes of Sunderland’s play-off final win over Sheffield United, but he was pictured back in training this week with teammates not currently away on international duty. The club had initially expected O’Nien to return after the ongoing break, and he now looks on course to meet that timeline.

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O’Nien’s comeback will provide valuable versatility across the backline, though competition for defensive places is fierce following Sunderland’s heavy summer recruitment. He was joined in training by Aji Alese, who is also closing in on a return after missing the entirety of pre-season through injury. Dennis Cirkin and Leo Hjelde are likewise expected back following the international break, but neither has been spotted in full training yet.

Le Bris has also welcomed recent signings Lutsharel Geertruida and Brian Brobbey to the training pitches for the first time since their deadline-day arrivals from RB Leipzig and Ajax respectively. Both could make their Sunderland debuts at Selhurst Park, though Le Bris may have to carefully manage their match sharpness given their lack of competitive action so far this season.

Meanwhile, fellow new arrival Bertrand Traoré faces a race against time to feature after joining from Ajax in the final minutes of the window. The winger is currently away on international duty with Burkina Faso and will link up with his new teammates late next week, leaving Le Bris with limited preparation time to integrate him into the squad.

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