Dani Alves is disappointed at how his departure from Barcelona was handled and has taken aim at the general everyday running of the club, claiming that those in power “don’t care about the people who made history”. The veteran Brazilian full-back returned to Camp Nou for a second spell late last year, but is a free agent again after making just 17 appearances.
He enjoyed every minute of his time in Catalunya, but feels his exit could have been communicated better and believes there is a lot of work to be done on and off the field in order for the Spanish giants to reclaim their standing at the top of domestic and European football.
Did Barcelona make the right choice releasing Dani Alves?
The South American defender was only ever intended to be a short-term option for former team-mate Xavi and has no issue at being let go as a younger generation seeks to follow in his illustrious footsteps.
He does, however, have concerns regarding the direction in which Barca are heading as a collective, telling The Guardian: “I didn’t leave sad. I left happy to have returned to Barcelona. I dreamed for five years wanting to live this second moment. The only thing I didn’t like was how my departure was handled.
“Since I arrived, I made it very clear that I wasn’t any more a 20-year-old guy and that I wanted things to be done head-on, without hiding things. But this club has sinned in recent years. Barcelona don’t care about the people who made history for the club.
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"As a cule, I would like Barcelona to do things differently. I’m not talking about myself because my situation was another scenario. I am eternally grateful to Xavi and the president for bringing me back.
“I found a club full of young people with incredible ideas on the pitch. But it needs to improve the work outside the field. The mindset is totally opposite to what we built a few years ago. Everything that happens on the field is a reflection of what happens outside.
“I’m supporting for Barcelona to come back to the top, but it’s super-complicated. Football is more balanced, it’s a collective game. And that has been left out at the club.”
Is Dani Alves going to retire?
As he finds himself without a club, and having turned 39 in May, there has been talk of Alves hanging up his boots.
He insists that will not be the case, as he is linked with clubs from Mexico to Spain, with there still a desire on his part to compete for more trophies – as the most decorated player of all time – and to make Brazil’s squad for the 2022 World Cup.
Alves said of playing on: “I know that everyone is talking about my age, that I am old, that 20 years ago everyone wanted me and today not. But I completely disagree because I have an experience today that I didn’t have 20 years ago. When there’s a big game, 20-year-olds get nervous and worried, but I don’t.
“Age has its pros and cons. There are many things you do when you’re 20, but you don’t do it when you’re older. Maturity comes from just living. I also have the experience of having lived almost everything in the sport.
“The last dance is when you’re going to retire, but I think I’ll keep dancing. A dance is always welcome, regardless of the place and which dance. I do not think like that. And the last dance has already been done. It’s better to create a new chapter, a new series. It’s another chapter of my life.”
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