Barcelona confirms return of Dani Alves: ‘Good crazy’

Friday, November 12, 2021 at 9:04 PM• Dominic Mostert

Dani Alves will return as a Barcelona player, the top LaLiga club confirmed on Friday evening. According to previous reports from Spain, Xavi has made the decision about the arrival of the 38-year-old right-wing defender, who is transfer-free after his departure from São Paulo. The Brazilian is available immediately and could make his comeback against Espanyol next week.

“Good crazy,” Barcelona tweeted Friday night. It was a reference to the nickname the eccentric back once gave himself in an interview with Globo Esporte. “I’m a Good Crazy. I just get the most out of life. I hardly watch television, because there is so much bad news. I am just life. I live in freedom. I have to follow certain rules in football, but I do play in freedom. Freedom to create. I live in my madness,” he said.

Alves repeated the statement when he announced his departure from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2019. “If you want to remember me: be every day GOOD CRAZY, with a beautiful smile on your face. Pure energy of a soul, a professional who works fully committed to his goals. I hope you don’t miss my crazy stuff,” the veteran wrote on Instagram.

Alves is known for his excellent mentality and could pass that on to the younger players of Barcelona. The right wing defender played for the club between 2008 and 2016 and experienced its absolute heyday. He played 391 matches for Barça and won 23 prizes with the Catalans. Alves played for São Paulo in recent years, but left the club in September over a salary dispute. In Brazil, he was more often used as a defensive midfielder than as a right back.

A month after his departure from São Paulo, the experienced fullback offered himself publicly to Barcelona. “It would sound very opportunistic to say that Barça need me now,” he told Sport. “I said that whenever Barcelona needed me and wanted me, I would always be open to a return no matter where I am. The sympathy, love and respect I have for this club is indescribable. If Barça think they need me, they should call me. I still think I can contribute at many clubs, but more at Barca because of the number of young players they have now.”