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Barcelona gave the footballing world quite a shock by announcing that they re-signed their former star, Dani Alves. Yeah, this is not a dream. That same Alves. Brazillian. Bald. Delivers a mean cross into the box.
Alves enjoyed a prolific decade-long stint at Barcelona, winning six La Liga titles, three Champions League titles, including two continental trebles. In nearly 400 games across competitions, he scored 21 times, but provided over 100 assists.
New Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez is now getting the band back together. He has now signed Dani Alves, who is now a free agent. Unfortunately, Alves might not be able to play immediately, as players signed between transfer windows can start playing only after the next window starts.
Dani Alves can, though, start training immediately with the Barcelona first team. That would be a concern only if Barcelona had bought Dani Alves for his playing ability, which is, hopefully, not the case at all.
On that note, here are four reasons why Barcelona might have re-signed Dani Alves:
#1 Dani Alves is a serial winner
Before coming to Barcelona, Alves spent a six-year spell at Sevilla where he won the Copa del Rey and two UEFA Cups. Then with Barcelona, he won the sextuple in his first season, and went on to win five more La Liga titles and three more UEFA Champions League titles.
From there he went to Juventus, where he won the Serie A and the Coppa Italia. After that, he went to Paris Saint Germain, where he won the domestic treble in his first season and one more league title. Finally, he went to Sao Paulo where he won the Campeonato Paulista before coming back to Barcelona.
In the meantime, he also won the Copa America twice with Brazil. The thing is, Dani Alves just knows how to win titles. He has been part of so many title-winning teams, and this new-look Barcelona team badly needs someone like that.
And maybe that luck might rub off on the struggling Barcelona team too. You can never not hope.
#2 Dani Alves' experience
Part of the reason why Dani Alves has won so much is that he has just... played so much. He is a veteran of 880 games in his club career, and another 119 games for Brazil.
Someone who has played at the top level of the game has knowledge of the sport through sheer exposure to the game. He has seen everything that can happen and has dealt with that first hand.
The Barcelona dressing room should benefit immensely from Alves, even more than veteran players like Sergio Busquets and Gerard Pique, who are also at the club. Dani Alves has a more diverse experience, which is an invaluable asset on its own.
#3 Dani Alves has the Barcelona DNA
Barcelona lost something on the day Lionel Messi left them to sign for Paris Saint Germain. They did not just lose the player but also his goals. Messi was a big part of Barcelona, and he was intricately linked with the identity of the club.
It may forever be tied with him. But it is one thing to have him retire and another thing entirely for him to play for another club just a 1000 miles away. In losing Messi, Barcelona lost something intangible.
That is why getting someone like Dani Alves is a small step in trying to reclaim that. This is a new board in charge of Barcelona. With a club legend like Xavi now managing them, they are trying to establish some connection with the fans who fondly remember and yearn for those old days.
Getting Dani Alves helps achieves that by giving the fans something familiar, something the fans are used to and something they were very fond of. Just having Alves at the Camp Nou creates an atmosphere of nostalgia, and keeps the fans engaged.
#4 Dani Alves could still be an impact super sub
At 38, Dani Alves is older than most players, but he is not old. Sure, he might not be able to play 90 minutes every week like he used to, but he can still come in and put in a sharp cameo or two.
It is not unheard of. Didier Drogba did it with Chelsea on his return to the club, and Juventus used Gianluigi Buffon on and off. It would be impractical to have Dani Alves at your disposal and not make use of his talents. I mean, he is right there.
Moreover, the advantage with the Brazilian is that he can functionally play anywhere on the pitch - defence, midfield, even offence if it comes to that. With La Liga allowing five substitutions now, fans might see more of Alves than they would expect to.
