Paris (AFP) – Injury deprived him of what looked like a last chance at World Cup glory last year, but Dani Alves is now spurred on by the dream of lifting the trophy with Brazil in Qatar in 2022.
“I don’t have an expiry date. My body is my answer — when I see that I can no longer compete, when my head is not in it anymore, it will be the time to stop,” Alves said in an exclusive interview with AFP.
“What I do know is that I am going to try to get to the World Cup in 2022. My objective is to fight to get there — I don’t hold the key, but I will try.”
Alves suffered a serious knee injury playing for Paris Saint-Germain in last season’s French Cup final, barely a month before the World Cup in Russia. He had just turned 35 and it would take him six months to return to action.
Since then, he has become an integral part of Thomas Tuchel’s PSG side and has just been recalled to the Brazil squad.
He is also set to feature when the French club face Manchester United in their Champions League last 16 return leg on Wednesday leading 2-0 from the first leg.
Last season’s French Cup was the 38th trophy won by Alves in a remarkable career that has included being part of three Champions League victories at Barcelona.
– ‘The girl of my dreams’ –
The World Cup is the one trophy missing from his CV, so it is little wonder he is driven on by the prospect of finally winning it with Brazil, even if he will be 39 by the time the next tournament comes around.
“That is why the challenge sort of gets me going. It’s like saying I’ve met the girl of my dreams. What do I say to her? I am going to try everything. Imagine ending your career as a world champion.”
While many players younger than Alves have struggled to recover from serious knee injuries, the Brazilian says he “never doubted” he would be back.
In his second season at PSG, Alves — one of the greatest full-backs the game has seen — has been reinvented by Tuchel as a midfielder.
That may partly be down to a lack of alternatives. However, Alves insists it is not about him being unable to get up and down the right flank in the way he used to.
from World Soccer Talk https://ift.tt/2Um1shc
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