Mueez Ajao
– Barcelona’s Brazilian defender Dani Alves received a rousing reception on Wednesday after being presented to supporters at the Nou Camp for the second time, joking that “I’m even more handsome now than when I left”.
– The 38-year-old right back, who wore an amber velvet suit, signed a contract until the end of the current campaign with club president Joan Laporta alongside him, before addressing around 10 000 fans in the stadium.
– “Once again, I’m here. If you remember the last time that I took this microphone, it was to say that I didn’t know when my dream would end.
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– “But I’m here again, still living the dream. You make me feel special, like one of you. This is something that is never is going to change.
– “Long live Barca, long live Catalunya, long live the mothers who gave birth to you all.”
– Alves played for Barca from 2008-16, winning six LaLiga titles, three Champions League crowns and three Club World Cups among other major honours.
– But the club had to sell their biggest star Lionel Messi before the season because of financial difficulties, and sit ninth in the league.
– Alves will wear the No 8 jersey in his second stint, and said he wanted to pay tribute to two club greats who had the same number.
– “Everyone should honour the greats when they’re still alive. So I’m going to wear No 8 to show my appreciation to Andres Iniesta and Hristo Stoichkov,” Alves said.
– Asked at a news conference if he was willing to bring back other veterans such as Iniesta or Messi, Laporta left the door open.
– “I don’t rule it out,” he said. “It happened with Alves, who made a big financial effort to come back. I can’t read the future, they have contracts with other clubs. But you never know,” he told a news conference.
– Alves, who completed his medical this week, cannot play until January but will start training with his teammates this week. Despite playing a different role for Sao Paulo and the Brazil national team lately, Alves said he expected to play for Barca in his original position, right-back.
– “I’m haven’t come here on holiday. I came here to compete. I wasn’t born to be second. I want to be first. Always. So I’m going to fight like I always did,” he told reporters. “The expectations are high. My age is only a number.”
