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Barcelona veteran Dani Alves has termed making his second debut for the club 'a special gift'. The right-back returned to the Catalan giants in November. However, he was only allowed on-field action after Barcelona were able to register him following the opening of La Liga's registration window on January 3.
Alves started for the club in their Copa Del Rey Round of 32 clash against Linares Deportivo. Barcelona went down in the 19th minute, but two second-half goals from Ousmane Dembele and Ferran Jugtla, saw them register a 2-1 win.
After the match, Alves opened up on how he felt representing Barcelona again.
“I’m really happy. A film’s going through my mind. After everything that’s happened, to play another official game for Barcelona is such a special gift for me."
He added:
“I was enjoying myself playing with my teammates and competing alongside them. It’s a feeling that we represent. We need to instill this in the team. We know there are more surprises all the time in the Copa del Rey. We need to keep improving as a team."
“We need to have that spirit to compete, that spirit that we can do it. We need to be mentally strong. I think in the end coming through, the goals came for us, and that’s what we need,” Alves told Barca TV.
Dani Alves is a Barcelona legend
Dani Alves first joined Barcelona from Sevilla in 2008 as a 25-year-old. He went on to spend eight trophy-laden years with the club before joining Juventus in 2016.
Between 2008 and 2016 with Barcelona, Alves won everything there was to win in European club football. The Brazilian won six La Liga titles, four Copa Del Reys, four Spanish Super Cups, three UEFA Champions League titles, three UEFA Super Cups and three FIFA Club World Cups with the club.
Alves formed an integral part of the all-conquering Barcelona side under manager Pep Guardiola. One of the most decorated players in world football, Alves joined Juventus in 2016 before moving to Paris Saint-Germain a year later.
After two seasons with the French giants, the 38-year-old moved back to Brazil, playing for Sau Paulo for two seasons. But Alves's contract with the club was terminated following a feud with the club. He subsequently returned to Barcelona to help the Spanish giants navigate their way out of a tricky time.
He is under contract with Barcelona until the end of the ongoing season. It remains to be seen whether he will be a part of manager Xavi's plans in La Liga as well.
