The news was advanced by the Portuguese club and confirmed by Gelson Dala himself on his social networks. "Rio Ave FC has reached an agreement with Qatar's Al-Wakrah Sports Club for the permanent transfer of forward Gelson Dala," the club announced in a statement.
The forward clarified the rumors of a possible return to Portugal on his personal Instagram page: "Happy to be back!! My home for the next three years", wrote the athlete, sharing a photo of him wearing the club's colors.
In the 2021/2022 season, the forward has already played for the Qatari team, having played 23 matches in which he scored 19 goals. The club reached third place in the national championship.
Gelson Dala is formed on 1.º de Agosto, having arrived in Portugal in 2016 to play for Sporting Clube de Portugal. However, after only being used in two games, he was loaned to Antalyaspor (Turkey) and three times to Rio Ave, signing definitively for the team in the north of the country in 2020. At the club, he has a record of participation in more than 80 official games.
