Barcelona legend Dani Alves makes shock Pumas transfer

Cameron Smith

22 Jul 2022 02:25 CDT
3 min read

Dani Alves, Barcelona, 2021/22 — © ProShots

Barcelona and Brazil legend Dani Alves has officially completed his move to Mexican side Pumas following the expiration of his contract at Camp Nou.

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Alves became a free agent on 1 July after his short-term deal at Barcelona came to an end, and has now joined Pumas on a free transfer. The Mexican team will be the third team outside Europe that Alves has played for in his career, after EC Bahia and Sao Paulo.

Alves, 39, returned to the Blaugrana from a spell in Brazil in late 2021 at the request of new head coach Xavi, in order to provide experience to a side struggling in La Liga. With cash limited at his former club, Alves agreed to play on a €1 a month contract, and featured 17 times in all competitions.

Along with fellow January arrivals Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Ferran Torres, Alves helped Barcelona climb the table and ensured their place in the 2022-23 Champions League.

However, his deal was not renewed at the close of the 2021-22 Spanish top flight season.

Reports in early 2022 had suggested that Barcelona may offer Alves an extension to prolong his stay at the club, but that didn't transpire.

Alves initially left Barcelona to join Juventus in 2016, before playing for Paris Saint-Germain and then Sao Paulo in his homeland.

However, he decided to re-join Barcelona following Xavi's appointment as head coach. His deal has not been renewed ahead of the upcoming La Liga season, and Barcelona are instead hoping to sign Chelsea defender Cesar Azpilicueta.

Alves not happy with how his Barcelona exit was dealt with

Upon leaving Barcelona, the Brazilian told The Guardian: "I didn’t leave sad. I left happy to have returned to Barcelona. I dreamed for five years wanting to live this second moment. The only thing I didn’t like was how my departure was handled.

© ProShots - Dani Alves has won 43 trophies in his career

"Since I arrived, I made it very clear that I wasn’t any more a 20-year-old guy and that I wanted things to be done head-on, without hiding things. But this club has sinned in recent years. Barcelona don’t care about the people who made history for the club.

"I would like Barcelona to do things differently. I’m not talking about myself because my situation was another scenario. I am eternally grateful to Xavi and the president for bringing me back.

"I found a club full of young people with incredible ideas on the pitch. But it needs to improve the work outside the field. The mindset is totally opposite to what we built a few years ago. Everything that happens on the field is a reflection of what happens outside.

"I’m supporting for Barcelona to come back to the top, but it’s super-complicated. Football is more balanced, it’s a collective game. And that has been left out at the club."

Alves could feature against his former club Barcelona in the Joan Gamper Trophy final, in which Pumas face the Blaugrana on 7 August.