One of the best right backs in the world is now available for free in the transfer market this summer after Dani Alves announced he’s leaving FC Barcelona. His impact for the team won't be forgotten, but no player will miss him more than Lionel Messi, as both established one of the biggest attacking partnerships in recent memory.
Barcelona’s technical secretary Robert Fernández announced the departure of the Brazilian defender during his end-of-season press conference held at Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gasper this Thursday.
“This is personal decision that the club has to accept. Extending his contract at the end of last season was the logical move considering the form he evidenced in the latter stages of the campaign. Dani, however, has decided to leave the team due to personal reasons.”
Dani Alves has told club officials he will leave FC Barcelona this summer.
Dani Alves will abandon the Camp Nou outfit after a successful eight-year period with Los Blaugranas, in which he won four Copa del Rey titles, four Spainish Super Cups, six La Liga titles, three UEFA Champions League, three European Super Cups and three FIFA Club World Cups.
He's easily one of the most heralded footballers in recent years, and Barcelona will have a tough time trying to replace him not only because of his experience, but also due to the fact that he was an important - and at times underrated - part of the team's attack.
Dani Alves has been one of the most successful players in football history when it comes to winning trophies at the club level.
Analyzing his impact for FC Barcelona
The Brazilian right back arrived at Camp Nou in 2008 after a very successful spell with Sevilla, and he was the starting right back since day one. Known for his blistering pace and a constant will to overlap the opposing defences, Alves ended playing as a winger most of the times, a style that suit him quite well given his natural talent going forward.
In many ways, Alves was the best example of how a Brazilian full back plays: attacking-minded players that defend when they need to, but that excel going forward. It was common to find him overlapping Messi on a constant basis - more on that later - and he was always available to either cut inside, or as an option to cross the balll into the box.
It's tough to find a right back that shows composure in front of the goalkeeper, but that's exactly what Alves did. Unlike most defenders, Alves was capable of scoring great goals, and one of his best strikes came during the 2012 Copa del Rey quarter-finals against Real Madrid:
Dani Alves top facts in his career with FC Barcelona:
• Alves played 391 total matches for FC Barcelona across all competitions. He scored 21 goals and delivered 102 assists.
• His 391 appearances are the second highest-total in the club’s history by a foreigner after Lionel Messi’s 530.
• Alves set up more goals for Messi than anyone else in the world (42), topping other Barcelona icons such as Andrés Iniesta and Xavi Hernández.
• Alves will go down in the history books as the fourth player with most titles in FC Barcelona with 23 pieces of silverware.
Dani Alves will go down as one of the most successful foreign players in Barcelona's history. (image by: @ab_grafix)
Lionel Messi will miss him the most!
One of the players who’s going to miss Alves the most will be Lionel Messi. Even though the Argentinian superstar still has Iniesta, Neymar and Luis Suárez, the impact Alves had on Messi’s career is undeniable. He was his partner in crime on the right flank, and the partnership both players created on the pitch will be very hard for FC Barcelona to repeat.
Messi has stated several times how he believes Alves is the best right back in the world, and he certainly has to feel that way considering how important the Brazilian has been for the Argentine's success over the years.
Barcelona has quality players that could replace Alves on the right side of the defense, most notably Aleix Vidal and Sergi Roberto. Will they mesh with Messi the way Alves did? That's yet to be seen, but both face an uphill task to fill the Brazilian's shoes.
Messi will certainly miss Dani Alves a lot, as they built one of the deadliest attacking partnerships in Europe over the past eight seasons.
Looking towards the next season, it’s unclear where Alves will play, but all signs point towards him playing in the Serie A for Juventus during the 2016-17 campaign. The 33-year-old has been heavily linked with a move to the Old Lady, but nothing has been confirmed yet.
Wherever he ends up playing, FC Barcelona fans are surely going to miss the Brazilian defender. He’s been a synonym of success and excellence over the past eight seasons, and he left a mark that’s not going to be forgotten easily.
Social media reaction to Dani Alves leaving FC Barcelona:
So Dani Alves leaves Barcelona... Greatest right back and the best signing of our history #ThankYouAlves
— kk (@KailasKumar_) 2 de junio de 2016
As Dani Alves leaves Barcelona, its worth reflecting that #Sevilla signed him from Bahia for £400,000. One of the great bargains of all time
— Fútbol de Andalucía (@FutbolAlAndalus) 3 de junio de 2016
