Most of the footballers who are about 40 years old choose to hang up their boots, and many have started their teaching careers and even showed their strengths in other fields. Won the Olympics and returned to Barcelona. In this uneventful year of 2021, 38-year-old Brazilian veteran Dani Alves has had a very memorable year.
I still remember that in the summer of 2019, Daniel Alves returned to the First Division to join the parent team São Paulo. Leaving the European football scene that has been rolling around for many years, he said at the time: "I don't want people to think that coming back to São Paulo is to end their careers, I came to fight for results, and I hope to play in the next World Cup (2022)." ”
This year, Daniel Alves completed two initiatives: 1. became an Olympic gold medalist, and 2. returned to the mainstream at the age of 38.
Daniel Alves also wore the jersey of his mother team São Paulo in the middle of the year to compete in the Brazilian First Division, and in the summer, he led the Brazilian men's football team to the top of the Tokyo Olympics as a captain, fulfilling the Olympic dream of winning gold as an athlete. Later, due to salary arrears and Sao Paulo's contract, full of expectations that he would go to the United States or the Middle East to dig for gold, he encountered a change in the Barcelona first team, and his old teammate Xavier invited Daniel Alves back to Barcelona as manager, and rejoined this traditional giants at the age of 38. The Camp Nou stadium is full of defeats, but the return of the legend adds a touch of warmth to this deserted place.
You can question what Daniel Alves has not done this year, that the Olympic men's football team is not a big tournament widely recognized by the football world, and that even returning to Barcelona is just a mascot. But at this age, he can still maintain his enthusiasm for football and fulfill the seemingly impossible ideal of "playing the World Cup at the age of 39" step by step. The Olympics' three group stages, three knockout matches, along with two extra-hours in the final four, totaled 560 minutes, and Daniel Alves was not absent.
People are not old, and the so-called iron man is like this. Even if the Olympic gold medal is not enough, but at this age can still compete in the competition full attendance, this fire is enough to pass on to future generations. At the age of 38, he also broke the record for the oldest medal in the history of Olympic men's football.
Daniel Alves's career has always been spent with glory. With 42 career titles, it is still the first record in the history of men's football. Maybe this year Barcelona will find it difficult to help the veteran push the number higher, but being able to get this big team to let him return to the nest proves that he still has some value. And Barcelona's training package is also enough for Daniel Alves to stay in shape to complete his dream of playing the World Cup again.
Looking back at the World Cup in Russia, Brazil lost to Belgium in the quarterfinals. After 4 years, Brazil has Richarllisen, Eder Militão, Jesus gradually on the front line, there are Neymar, Casemiro, Makinhos, these Mesozoic generations are still blooming, and even the 36-year-old Thiago Silva, in the Premier League can still stand on the start. Can Daniel Alves, who is determined to play in the World Cup again, be able to reach the World Cup as he wishes, or even fill the most glorious gap in the trophy cabinet?