Dani Alves makes second Barcelona debut five years after leaving beloved club

Don’t wait around for updates – sign up for our daily football email newsletter today!

Dani Alves will make his second debut for Barcelona on Wednesday night, over five years on from leaving his beloved club.

The Brazilian defender previously spent eight years with Barca between 2008 and 2016, making over 390 appearances and winning a total of 23 trophies with the club.

This included three Champions League triumphs and six Spanish league titles, as Barcelona enjoyed one of their most successful periods.

Alves is now hoping to contribute to Xavi's rebuild of the club after finally being cleared to make his first competitive appearance for the Blaugrana since returning to the club.

Having returned to the club in November, Barcelona were unable to register Alves until January 3, with the Spanish FA clearing him to play on Wednesday morning.

This means he could make his 392nd appearance for the club against third tier Linares Deportivo in the Copa del Rey round of 32 on Wednesday night.

The 38-year-old has been included in the squad list for the match, with Barca dealing with a selection headache following a number of positive Covid test results amongst their players.

This includes Pedri, Gavi, Sergino Dest and Ousmane Dembele, with Xavi forced to include a number of younger players in his squad for the match.

Will Barcelona qualify for the Champions League this season? Let us know in the comments section below.

Alves has made one appearance for Barcelona since re-signing for the Spanish giants two months ago, although it was not a competitive fixture.

He played the full match as they were beaten on penalties by Boca Juniors following a 1-1 draw in a match honouring the late Diego Maradona in the Saudi Arabian capital, Riyadh.

Upon returning to the club, who are currently struggling financially, Alves is understood to be playing for a wage of just €1-a-week.

He will wear the number eight shirt for Barcelona this season and has a release clause worth €100million included in his contract, which runs until the end of the campaign.

  • Barcelona FC
  • La Liga

Source: Read Full Article