Brazilian star Dani Alves has secured a return to FC Barcelona, five years after he left the club for Juventus at the expiration of his contract.
Dani Alves joined Barcelona from Sevilla in 2008 before going on to establish himself as one of the best right-backs in the world, winning multiple laurels at the Nou Camp, including two trebles in the 2008/09 and 2014/15 seasons.
Alves joins Barcelona on the request of new manager Xavi Hernandez, who played alongside the Brazilian at the Nou Camp during his playing days as they dominated Europe together under the tutelage of Pep Guardiola and then Luis Enrique.
The 38-year-old Dani Alves played every single match for Brazil as they claimed Olympic gold at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, his 44th major career trophy. The right-back is the third most-capped player in the history of Brazil with 119 senior appearances, a sign of his quality and longevity.
Dani Alves departed from Sao Paulo shortly after the Tokyo Olympics, with his representatives stating that the club had refused to pay him part of his salary. The defender embarked on a strike action that prompted the club to terminate his contract, which was supposed to run until 2022.
Alves offered his services to FC Barcelona shortly after, but manager Ronald Koeman was not interested in having him on his team. The arrival of Xavi caused their stance to change as the Spaniard recognised the need for his quality and leadership at the Camp Nou.
Dani Alves joins Barcelona on a special deal due to his being a free agent, with the club now awaiting clearance from La Liga to register the veteran as a member of their squad. Alves will not be able to play until January, the club has announced. He will only be training with the squad until he receives clearance to make his debut.
