«Veteran, your cousin».
With this guas, Dani Alves responded to a press holder who alluded to him as “veteran player”.
At 38, the Brazilian is the leader of the Caranhina in the search for Olympic gold, the first for the defense but that would become title number 44 of him.
Alves is the most laureate asset footballer, a forty one in the palmarés who grabs the lawn with the intention of arriving in the form of the Qatar World Cup next year.
But he first wants to hang the gold medal around his neck, a differential award within reach of few.
He did not care that the coach André Jardine gave him the ticket for Tokyo before the negative of the PSG to lend Neymar in the Olympic tournament.
Brazil was left without the leader who took them to La Plata in London 2021 and at the top of the podium at home, in Rio.
Alves, since August 2019 Player of Sao Paolo, did not hesitate to add his “experience”, not veteran, to that of Sevillista Diego Carlos, 28, and Santos, the goalkeeper of the 31-year-old parade.
They three are the older ones who prop up an eleven where the midfielders of the Olympique de Lyon and the Aston Villa, Bruno Guimaraes and Douglas Luiz, and the front of Everton Richarlison.
For this he had to overcome a right knee injury he suffered in May and he set away from the option of being called with the absolute tite selection for the classification matches for the World Cup.
He had the games, and they have reached 100%.
It is not that Brazil has reached the final in a brilliant tournament.
Golling Germany in the debut, but suffered in quarters to Egypt and needed to reach Penaltis to eliminate Mexico, who hung the bronze medal after beating Japan.
However, no one doubts that without Alves, maybe Brazil would have had more problems.
The EX of Seville, Barça, Juventus and PSG leads the statistics of your selection in these games.
He is the player more than the most balloons he has recovered (16), more decisive passes has given, plus dribbling has done (14) and more centers (8) has served for his companions.
That Brazil rises to the podium for the third time in a row in a few games is, in large part, thanks to Dani Alves.
Leader inside and outside the field
«It has an impressive physical form.
The maturity that she has speaks on her own;
He is very experienced and with great lucidity in the decisions of him.
Santos, Diego Carlos and Dani Alves are the team leaders, “recognizes the coach of him, who did not quoted it alone for that.
“He is a leader, a winner, has a lot of charisma, is highly respected by all Brazilian players.
A great example for this generation of players, “he described Jardine.
But he also weighed that he had never been in games.
“We thought it was perfect marriage.
And his eyes lit up when we told him, “the Brazilian trainer revealed.
Branco, world champion in 1994 and coordinator of lower categories, it was clear: his influence outside the field was essential to create a team with options from being a gold medal.
He is the only footballer capable of abronding Neymar and also the most joker to reduce the tension of Tokyo’s way by passing through the flight stewardess.
Alves has won twice the Copa América, but it has the naving spine of the World Cup.
His challenge is to get to Qatar to fight him.
That is why he changed Europe, the PSG, by Sao Paolo, a club that received him as a star and where he has the minutes he needs.
Only the injuries will say if he arrives.
He wants to do it as Olympic gold, even before Spain.
“Being here, being able to represent my people is an honor for me.
Everyone knows that there is a bit of my heart in Spain.
My second nationality is Spanish and it will be special for everything I lived and built there.
I have a special affection for Spain, but it’s about playing, right? “He recognized up hours before the final.
It is clear that he will not have mercy.
