The continuity of Dani Alves at FC Barcelona It is still an issue to be resolved. The Brazilian winger signed last January for the Barça club until June 30, but with the option of extending his contract for another year. However, the club has not yet decided whether Alveswho will turn 39 on May 6, will extend his relationship until June 2023. The last word will be Xavi Hernandez.
The coach, who was his main supporter in January, will have to decide if he has the Brazilian for another year or prefers to free up his place to have a new signing.
Till the date, Alves He has played a total of 9 games (6 in the League, 1 in the Spanish Super Cup and 2 in the Copa del Rey, the first of which was his re-release with the Barça on January 5 against Linares, 2,054 days after their last official match). Beyond his contribution on the field, where he has also contributed with a goal, what is most valued about the Brazilian are the intangibles. Alves He is a leader in the locker room, he encourages, forms a group and advises the large number of young players that the current squad of the FC Barcelona.
The Barça player celebrated his 400th game as a Barça player on the day of the victory against Real Madrid at the Bernabéu
On more than one occasion, Xavi has been asked about the possibility that Alves continue beyond June 30 and until now, the coach, who has praised the Brazilian, has also made it clear that when the performance of each player has to be assessed, it is at the end of the season and, based on that, decide .
Despite the delicate economic situation of the club, the salary of Alves It would not mean a problem for its continuity. The winger adapted to the circumstances of the entity and accepted the salary that the Barçabecause he not only wanted to help the club at a delicate moment, but one of his objectives was to be able to reach the Qatar World Cup next November.
However, and although the last word will be Xavi, there is no unanimity in the club on the continuity of the Brazilian. They believe that at the age of 39, next season he will no longer be able to compete at the highest level, just when the Barça you’ll want to aspire to everything again. In addition, his presence would cover the projection of a young player (if Dest ends up staying) or would collide head-on with that of a signing that would come to be a starter (Azpilicueta O Mazraoui).
Dani Alves, showing his culé pride at the Bernabéu
He’s already out of Europe
One thing to keep in mind when assessing the future of Alves at Barça is that the Brazilian was the one discarded by Xavi for the Europa League. The Barça He could only register three of the four signings from the winter market to compete in the European competition and the coach ended up leaving the Brazilian out, also with the idea of being able to dose him. Another minor detail. At Classic last week in the Santiago Bernabeuwith what a match against the Real Madrid, Xavi leave it to Alves on the bench and did not take hold of him until the end, already with the score 0-4 and so that he could reach his 400 appearances with the Barça.
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