Dani Alves has revealed that a split in the relationship between himself and the hierarchy in Barcelona was the reason why he left the club in 2016.
Alves undoubtedly became the best defender in the world after joining Barça in 2008, winning three Champions League and six La Liga titles, but joining Juventus after eight years with La Blaugrana.
Brazilian wins trophies in his sleep | VI-Images / Getty Images
Talking on an Instagram question and answer with followers – quoted by Marca – Alves revealed that he does not miss being so much in Barcelona before revealing why he chose to leave Camp Nou.
“I did not believe in the leaders who were in charge [of Barcelona] at that moment, Alves said.
“Later it was proven that I was right. Because I was the first person to say that, they called me crazy, but as always … I’m a good crazy!”
Josep Bartomeu served as Barcelona’s president from 2014 to 2020 and came in for criticism and was eventually arrested for his role in ‘Barcagate’. He has since been replaced by Joan Laporta, who led the club through one of their most successful periods from 2003 to 2010 in his first spell.
Josep Maria Bartomeu was heavily criticized as Barcelona’s president of Quality Sport Images / Getty Images
After winning the Champions League in 2015, Barcelona’s form in Europe diminished under Bartomeu’s rule, where rivals Real Madrid won the competition three times on the bounce.
Barça were torn 8-2 by Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals 2019/20 and were knocked out in the quarter-finals this season. The club’s hierarchy has come under fire for their downfall and sold Luis Suarez to title rivals Atletico Madrid, while club politics led to Lionel Messi submitting a transfer request in 2020.
Alves, the most decorated footballer at the top level in history with 41 trophies, still reserved praise for his former Barcelona teammates. He chose Messi over Cristiano Ronaldo (because obviously he would) and talked a lot about Xavi and Sergio Busquets before calling Neymar the most skilled player in the world.
