Alves reflects on 17 years in Europe, what he learned from
Pep Guardiola, his experiences of
racism and why he’s back in
Brazil 
By Joshua Law and Tom Sanderson
Dani Alves has won more major trophies than any footballer in history. He spent 17 years playing for some of Europe’s biggest clubs, redefining the nature of his position. And this July he captained Brazil to glory at the Copa América, his country’s first major silverware in over a decade. So, what does he still have left to prove? The answer, it seems, is quite a lot.
Alves has returned to live in his homeland for the first time since he left Bahia as a teenager in 2002. Many Brazilian stars come back to enjoy a few years of comfort before hanging up their boots, but he quickly lays that notion to rest. “I adore challenges,” says Alves with a smile. “I love it when nobody believes that things will happen and you go there and do it. That’s my passion. That lights the flame inside me.”