Dani Alves’s Biography, Net Worth, Fact, Career, Awards and Life Story
Regarded as one of the best full-backs of his generation, and of all time, Alves is an offensive right-back or wing-back who is known in particular for his pace, stamina, overlapping attacking runs, and technical skills, which also enable him to play in midfield, or as a winger; he is also gifted with good crossing accuracy and distribution, which allows him to link up with midfielders, and makes him an effective assist provider along the right flank. In addition to his ability to create chances, he is an accurate striker of the ball, and is known for his ability to score goals in particular from outside the area or long-range set-pieces. Despite not being particularly imposing physically, he possesses significant strength and tenacity, which along with his energy, anticipation and work-rate, enable him to intercept passes or chase down and press opponents when not in possession, thus allowing him to aid his team both offensively and defensively. However, despite his skill and offensive ability, he has drawn criticism at times in the media for neglecting the defensive aspect of his game. During his time with Paris Saint-Germain, he also played as a central midfielder on occasion. He continued to play in a free role in midfield during his time with São Paulo, citing his desire to play in the middle in order to have more touches on the ball as the reason for this tactical switch, as out wide he had felt more isolated, and less capable of creating chances for his team. Regarding his unique interpretation of the full-back role throughout his career, Alves commented in 2019:
“I’m a full-back who plays a combination game. But here – because of the characteristics of Brazilian football, the way the team plays and, a lot of times, the teammates – you don’t have so many [short-passing] combinations. If I play in the position I did for 20 years, I can’t interfere as much in the game. When I get involved, I help my teammates to become better. It’s been like that my whole career – at Bahia, Sevilla, Barcelona, Juventus and PSG. Those clubs have a history of having done that for a while. Here, the coach changes all the time and you’re always trying to adapt to the coach you have. In my position in the middle I’m better for my teammates. I’ll be sincere, I created a new way of playing as a full-back. No false modesty. I am always adapting to my teammates. If they’re wide, I’ll go into the middle. If they’re attacking, I’ll help with the control. If the ball’s on the other side, I tuck in. I play as a creative midfielder from the back. Barcelona gave me this understanding. When I played with Xavi or Rakiti[ć], there was always a player controlling the game. If I was wide, Xavi or Rakiti[ć] were behind me. Seeing them play, I thought: ‘When you have a winger who stays wide, you need to stay in the area of control.’ At São Paulo, my challenge is to be able to understand my teammates and to combine with them as well as possible.”
