He’s won just about everything there is – the Champions League and Europa League twice apiece, numerous titles in Spain, Serie A with Juventus – but if Dani Alves had got his way, none of it would have ever happened.
A young Alves would have been much more at home fiddling with an instrument than dancing through defences, says the man himself – it’s just a crying shame he was so ruddy good at the latter that his career went that way.
Alves say it was all down to his father – the single biggest influence on his career, according to the 34-year-old.
Honestly, I would have rather been a musician, but I accepted my father's idea to be a footballer
“Honestly, I would have rather been a musician, but I accepted his idea to be a footballer,” says Alves in a new segment of At The End Of The Day (below).
“I managed to make his dream come true, something I couldn't imagine even in my wildest dreams. I made the dream of my biggest idol, my role model, come true.
“He used to love football very much. When I started to understand his passion, I entered into the football world and learned to admire great players.
“My reference was Cafu because of his history. It was an inspiration. He was a reference to me.”
Asked about the one thing he’d change in football today, Alves lamented the shift in attitude of football’s suits.
“I would change the respect. I believe football lacks it,” the Brazilian legend tells FFT.
“Well, actually, I would change that the people in charge of football would do it for love and not for other interests.
“They take advantage of other people's dreams. Football used to be a sport for having fun, for being alongside your mates and making the most of the day.
“Nowadays, football is a business… it's in another dimension.”
Watch the full At The End Of The Day video with Dani Alves on FourFourTwo’s YouTube channel now. Which other sport would he play instead of football? When did the game break his heart? Find out by hitting play above.
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