What's next for Dani Alves

Ahead of what could be Dani Alves’ last game
for Barcelona, Nick Wright examines how much
the 32-year-old Brazilian has left to offer as he
is linked with a move to Manchester United…
“I may have two feet in the team but I’ve also
got one foot, my body and nearly my head out of
the club.”

Dani Alves has never been one for holding back
– whether it be on or off the pitch. In a typically
frenzied press conference last Monday, the soon
to be out-of-contract Brazilian launched an
extraordinary attack on Barcelona’s board.
“From 7 June, I’ll announce my future,” he
added. “My intention was not to speak but I
haven’t been respected with a lot of silly things.
It’s gone too far. I have been quiet for too long
but they have not shown me any respect. I have
a limit and I have reached it.”
I won’t accept that they underestimate
what I have given to this club. They
haven’t given me the value I deserve.
Dani Alves
As well as threatening to leave the club, the
right-back burst into song, mocked Cristiano
Ronaldo and labelled Madrid-based newspaper
Marca as “trash”. Even by Alves’ standards –
and this is a man who once said he didn’t know
Manchester City existed – it was a remarkably
explosive episode.
The eccentric 32-year-old courted attention
again in Saturday’s Copa del Rey triumph,
sporting a bizarre new haircut – and claiming
two assists – in their 3-1 win over Athletic
Bilbao.
But for all Barcelona’s recent success, Alves’
fall-out with the board has been well-
documented. The club were planning for life
without him earlier this season, but they were
forced to backtrack after their transfer embargo
was upheld in December. Barca are unable to
bring in any new players until January 2016, but
their new contract offers have come too late for
Alves.

“I won’t accept that they underestimate what I
have given to this club,” he said last week.
“They haven’t given me the value I deserve.”
Those comments contrasted sharply with what
he said when he joined the club in a
£23.5million deal from Sevilla in 2008.
"Barcelona want a return to the success of two
years ago and it's an honour that they are
counting on me," he commented at the time.
And boy, how they have counted on him.
Key
Barcelona’s staggering trophy haul over the last
seven seasons includes five La Ligas, five Copa
del Reys and two Champions Leagues – and
Alves has been key to every single one. He also
won another Copa del Rey and two UEFA Cups
at Sevilla. You might say success follows Alves
around, but the reality is he chases it down
himself.