Dani Alves Has Been Called Up To The Brazil National Team Aged 38

Dani Alves has earned himself a recall to the Brazil national team at the age of 38, for the team's upcoming World Cup qualifiers ahead of the Copa America.

Alves is a modern legend, especially for his incredibly successful time at Barcelona, proving the perfect foil to Lionel Messi on the right hand side.

The full back pretty much redefined the position with incredible ability to get forward and be a key part of the attack, something replicated by many now.

The 38-year-old won 118 caps for his country between 2006 and 2019, actually making 11 appearances for Brazil in his final year.

He has now been called up to the squad by Tite for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers in games against Ecuador and Paraguay next month.

The former Sevilla player has been playing for Sao Paulo since returning to his homeland in 2019 and has made 84 appearances for him.

Despite making his name as a right back, Alves now often plays in central midfield, although he has been played in several positions for Hernan Crespo's team.

On the selection, Tite said, "Alves is in a good moment and has a great history with the national team.

"In qualifying matches for the World Cup there is no time for recovery and he is playing at his physical peak.

"He has great leadership skills and that's very good for the group."

Alves playing for Sao Paulo. Image: PA Images

The Brazil boss hasn't yet named his squad for the Copa America, which takes place after the qualifiers, and will do so on June 9th.

Alves actually won the Golden Ball for the best player of the tournament when it was last played in 2019, as Brazil became champions of South America for the first time in 12 years.

Alves wasn't the only player to receive a recall to the squad after a number of years out of the squad, with Manchester United's Fred also included.

The 28-year-old has his 'high level' performances to thank for his return to the squad after a two and a half year absence.

"It's because of his performances," Tite said on the former Shakhtar player's return, "The high level that he has been showing at United, a team that is runner-up in the Premier League."

Topics: Football, Barcelona, Copa America, World Cup, Brazil

Ryan Sidle

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