Copa America: Dani Alves disagrees with Lionel Messi; says Brazil won because of hard work, not corruption

What's the story?

Brazil veteran Dani Alves has responded to Lionel Messi's angry rant against the CONMEBOL, in which the Argentine had stated that this year's Copa America was rife with corruption.

Alves, Messi's former teammate at Barcelona, also disagreed with the Argentine's comments which accused the CONMEBOL of rigging the results in favor of Brazil, explaining that the hosts won their ninth title through training and preparation.

In case you didn't know...

Alves, 36, was named the Player of the Tournament following the hosts' convincing 3-1 win over Peru in the final at the Maracana.

The former Barcelona and PSG right-back became the first player in the history of the sport to collect 40 trophies with club and country after Brazil won the continental title on home soil.

On the other hand, despite Argentina winning the third-place play-off against Chile, Messi refused to join his teammates on the podium to collect their medals after the match in which he was shown a red card due to an altercation with defender Gary Medel.

The heart of the matter

Dani Alves refused to agree with his former teammate's claim that the tournament had been rigged in favor of the host nation.

Responding to Messi's controversial claims, Alves said that though he understands the Argentine's frustration at the loss, he doesn't agree with the corruption charges the Barcelona star had levelled against CONMEBOL. He said after the match: (Via Marca)

"I can only say that I don't agree with him [Messi]. We have worked a lot to achieve this success, but I can understand that he's upset."

He further clarified his comments and said that Brazil's win was a result of their hard work and there's no way a competition like Copa America can be rigged.

"I don't agree with him that this Copa America has been bought."

"The work we've had to put in to win has been incredible."

What's next?

Alves, who is currently a free agent, is yet to decide on his future, but given his form he'll have absolutely no problem in finding a suitable club before the new season commences.