Dani Alves's return to Barcelona could not have been any better. With some world-class performances, Alves seems to have solved the problem that they were facing ironically since his departure.
At the ripe old age of 39, Alves is still going strong. The last game vs Atletico Madrid exactly proved that point.
Being the player with the most number of silverwares in football history as well as consistently playing on a high level for this long, the question certainly arises, where does Daniel Alves rank among the greatest right-backs of all time?
Brazil, being the most successful footballing nation in history, have produced quality footballers in almost every position.
But when it comes to attacking fullbacks on the right side of the pitch, few nations can come close to Brazil.
Djalma Santos, Carlos Alberto Torres, Cafu are some of the predecessors of Alves who were very much the pioneers of the position.
Philipp Lahm, Berti Vogts, Giuseppe Bergomi might also come into the conversation, but when it comes to sheer attacking prowess and skills, the Brazilian right-backs have been the very best in the world.
And among all of them, Dani Alves has been playing in the top flight for the longest period.
Alves is a fullback of a very different dimension and cannot be grouped with others. In his previous stint with Barcelona, he was the right-winger for the team, as Lionel Messi, despite starting on right-wing, moved centre of the pitch on almost every occasion, leaving oceans of space to Alves, who had to perform the works of a traditional winger and a traditional fullback at the same time.
He even briefly functioned as a number ten on his return to Brazil and was quite successful. His maturity on the ball and pinpoint decision making makes him a good midfielder, in addition to being one of the greatest right-backs of all time.
Also, his leadership skills are exemplary. Acting as a mentor for the young Brazil team in the Olympics as well as coming back to a Barcelona full of young players going through a rebuilding process are testaments to the fact. And judging by his overall impact, he has been successful so far.
It is almost impossible to say if one footballer is the greatest in his position, as players from different generations cannot be properly compared due to a lot of issues.
But it can certainly be said that fullbacks in the future will look up to Dani Alves.
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