Five and a half years after suddenly leaving Barça in a rematch against Bartomeu and his people, and at the age of 38, Daniel Alves will put on the Barça shirt again this Tuesday. He will do it in a tribute party, but he does not retire. The Alves that begins today its second stage at FC Barcelona (6:00 p.m., Mrsool Park Stadium in Riyadh), in the Maradona Cup against Boca JúniorsHe cannot play official matches until January 1, but he has been training with the team for three weeks. It will be necessary to measure to what extent this Alves of the end is still in conditions to compete. For Xavi, who has taken too little time to get tired of Sergiño Dest, it can be of help. The defense of the right wing is one of the big holes that he has found in his early days on the bench. Of course, if Alves suffered already back in his good days … “I’m even nervous for so long without being able to play. The time has come for the most important challenge of my career, but the challenges are there to be achieved and I will defend this shield and this shirt “said the Brazilian at a chaotic press conference upon Barça’s arrival in Arabia.
Any game is good for Xavi to save time, so the coach decided that all his available players should travel, beyond agreements signed by the club to collect. Abde did not do it, due to bureaucratic problems.
“We will try to manage the minutes of the players. The trip is not going well, but they are circumstances of the club. It is normal that people are disappointed, but we have to rebuild ourselves. It is a good test for those who play less, and also for Dani Alves “, explained the Barça coach. The Boca, rival of the Maradona Cup, also landed yesterday after fifteen hours of flight. The game does not have much sporting value. But yes symbolic. Although he did not play for many years at Boca (two stages) or at Barça, his mark and his plays were indelible. Some, such as the Vaseline goal against Red Star or the one in the League Cup after sitting Juan José on the Santiago Bernabéu goal line, have not been repeated because, like the footballer, the myth, they were unique.