Daniel Alves shows up in his slipper at Barcelona and wants to play the Cup

Right-back Daniel Alves, 38, was introduced by Barcelona this Wednesday (17th). The Brazilian caught the eye when he stepped onto the Camp Nou lawn wearing flip-flops, as he did in 2008, when he arrived for his first spell at the team.

“I’m wearing flip-flops because many things can change, but not others,” said the player, in an interview with Barça TV.

Idol in Catalonia, the athlete from Bahia wore the club’s shirt from 2008 to 2016 and took part in winning 23 titles. Before, he played for Sevilla (ESP), the team in which he aroused Barcelona’s interest.

“Not in my best dreams had I imagined being here again. Many people say that the first time is unforgettable, but I think the second will be even more,” said Daniel Alves.

In his first pass, the Brazilian made 391 official matches and scored 23 goals.

Now, he will wear the number 8 shirt, which used to belong to Iniesta, another idol of the team – he wore the 20, the 2, the 22 and the 6 in his first visit to Barça. But, according to the full-back, the number was chosen as a tribute to Bulgarian Stoichkov, who was successful in the 1990s.

“It doesn’t matter the [número] what’s behind, but what’s inside. I sent a message to Iniesta, asking for his permission and showing my respect,” says the player.

The contract runs until the end of the current season, in June 2022, and Daniel Alves will only be able to debut from January, after the transfer window opens.

The experienced winger is eager to go to the 2022 World Cup and will try to make up for lost time and return to coach Tite’s squad. In August, he helped the Brazilian team to win the Olympic bi-championship, at the Tokyo Games.

“I changed in many things, but not in one, Barça fans will see my soul and my spirit. If they liked my first version, they’ll like the second one even more. I’m more mature,” stated the Brazilian. “I’m going to honor this shirt. It might be the last one I wear. I have a very clear goal, which is to play in the 2022 World Cup.”

Another challenge will be to help Barcelona, ​​which is going through a bad phase on the field and financial and political problems off it. In this second passage, the Brazilian will be led by coach Xavi, with whom he played for the club.

During the presentation, on Wednesday, alongside the president of Barcelona, ​​Joan Laporta, Daniel Alves said that he offered to play for free for the team.

“I spoke to the president that I wanted to come back to help even if they didn’t pay me anything. I don’t promise anything I can’t keep. I insisted a lot.” Daniel Alves has not acted since his departure from São Paulo, in September this year, amid the crisis with the club’s board of directors.

Hired in 2019 after swearing his love for the São Paulo team, the winger played 95 games and scored 10 goals. It helped the team to win the last edition of the Campeonato Paulista, something that had not happened since 2005. However, the agreement, which was valid until the end of this year, was terminated.

Criticized by the fans, Daniel Alves did not spare the São Paulo directors and complained about the way he was treated by the club, which admitted having a debt of more than R$ 10 million to the athlete.