Daniel Alves da Silva (; born 6 May 1983) is a Brazilian professional footballer who last played as a right-back for Liga MX club UNAM and the Brazil national team. Widely considered one of the greatest full-backs of all time, Alves is the second most decorated player in the history of professional football (43 official titles).
Starting his career at Bahia in 2001, Alves went on to have a successful six-year spell with Sevilla, winning two UEFA Cups and the Copa del Rey. He joined Barcelona for €32.5 million, becoming the third-most expensive defender of all-time at the time. He won the treble in his first season with the club and in the next season, won the Supercopa de España, UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup. Additionally, he helped the club to clinch another two Supercopa de España, five La Liga titles and two UEFA Champions League titles in the years that followed.
In 2016, Juventus signed Alves on a free transfer. He won the 2016–17 Serie A title and 2016–17 Coppa Italia in his only season with the side, also reaching the Champions League Final. In 2017, Alves joined French side Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer, winning a domestic treble in his first season, followed by another league title the following season. In 2019, he returned to his home country, joining São Paulo, and winning the 2021 Campeonato Paulista with them. He returned to Barcelona in 2021. He joined Mexican club UNAM in 2022; UNAM terminated his contract in 2023 after he was detained in Spain, during a process that resulted in Alves being charged with sexual assault.
A full international for Brazil since 2006, Alves is the nation's second most-capped player of all time. He was included in their squads for three FIFA World Cups and five Copa América tournaments, winning the 2007 and 2019 editions of the latter competition, as well as the 2009 and 2013 FIFA Confederations Cups. At the Summer Olympics in 2020, he won a gold medal. Individually, Alves was named in the IFFHS CONMEBOL Team of the Decade (2011–2020), FIFA Confederations Cup Team of the Tournament (2013), the Copa América Team of the Tournament (2019), and was awarded the Copa América Best Player (2019).
Early life
Alves was born in Juazeiro, a city in the Brazilian state of Bahia, to father Domingos Alves da Silva, a farmer. He played football with the neighboring kids. Alves' father had a passion for football as well, and eventually managed to organize his own football team. Alves, at age 6, started as a winger, but because of the lack of goals he scored, his father re-positioned him as a right back, a position he still plays up to this day. Alves worked as a farmer and a trader in his youth.
Club career
Bahia
Alves made his professional debut for Bahia in a match against Paraná Clube for the 2001 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A. Bahia won 3–0, with Alves providing two assists and winning a penalty for the other goal. Head coach Evaristo de Macedo thereafter gave him a starting place in the team. In Bahia, he won the 2002 Copa do Nordeste. His consistently good performances landed him a transfer, at first on loan, to Spanish side Sevilla, midway through 2002.
Sevilla
After 2002–03, on loan to Sevilla from Bahia, Alves travelled to play in the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship, where he impressed as Brazil won the tournament. He was named the third-best player of the tournament and, after this, the Sevilla move was made permanent.
In June 2006, Sevilla agreed to sell Alves to Liverpool, but Liverpool were unable to match Sevilla's asking price of around £8 million. In December 2006, he signed a new contract with Sevilla, tying him to the club until 2012. He had a successful 2006–07 season, making 47 appearances and scoring 5 goals. He played in every one of Sevilla's UEFA Cup matches, in a competition which the club went on to win.
From his years in Spain, Alves acquired Spanish citizenship, thus allowing him to bypass any non-EU quota restrictions and exempting him from needing a work permit to play in any EU countries.
On 1 August 2007, Alves told SporTV he wanted to leave Sevilla for a European giant, later reiterating his desire to leave Sevilla to Marca, saying he was flattered by Chelsea's interest and that he could never turn down such an opportunity. In an interview with Antena 3 on 8 August, Alves confirmed his agent had been in England for some time handling Chelsea's offer, urging Sevilla to at least consider the offer.