Dani Alves Begs Lionel Messi to Return To Barcelona

The Brazilian professional footballer Dani Alves has made a public plea to his former team-mate, Lionel Messi, to finish his football career at Barcelona.

The Barcelona defender made the plea in an interview on Tot Costa de Catalunya Radio via Sport, where he stated that Lionel Messi is the best player in the history of the game.

He said: ‘Messi is the best player in the history of football. It’s strange to be here and not see him, to not have him in the squad.

‘Sometimes things don’t happen as we dream. I already told him that he is not going to be in any better place than here. He told me the same when I left. It would be very good if Messi finishes his career here.’

The Brazilian defender and Messi played together for more than eight years at Barca until he left for Juventus in 2016 before having stints at PSG and Sao Paulo.

The wing-back recently made a sensational return to the Nou Camp to continue his playing career at 38.

Alves, who won six LaLiga titles, three Champions League crowns, and three Club World Cup trophies among other major honours, returned to the Nou Camp in November, five years after his first stint with the Catalan giants came to an end.

Messi, 34, left the Nou Camp last summer after Barcelona’s financial crisis led to him making the move to Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer.

In the same interview, Dani Alves noted that he sees similarities with his current coach Xavi Hernandez and one of Barcelona’s all-time greats, Pep Guardiola

He said: “Xavi and  Guardiola have the same style, look for revolutions – Cruyff did it, and Guardiola did too.

“Barcelona have to be that again. They have to know they need to adapt. It’ll take a year or two, but the challenge is to bring back the Barcelona we all fell in love with, the team that changed the history of football.

“I was part of that Barcelona. This is the best place to be and we have to make it that way again.”