The greatest moments in Dani Alves's career at FC Barcelona
After eight seasons and 23 titles, the Brazilian full-back says goodbye
The Dani Alves era at FC Barcelona is over. The Brazilian full-back's decision was announced by first-team Technical Secretary Robert Fernandez at his end-of-season press conference on Thursday. It's the end of Alves's eight seasons with the Club, during which he piled up titles and awards, and became the foreign player with the second most matches played in Barça history, trailing only Leo Messi. Alves won six La Liga titles, three UEFA Champions League titles, four Copa del Rey titles, three UEFA Super Cup titles, four Spanish Super Cup titles, and three FIFA Club World Cup titles — that's a jaw-dropping 23 titles overall while donning the Blaugrana shirt.
Here's a look at his 10 greatest moments with FC Barcelona:
- Dani Alves joined Barça in the summer of 2008 from Sevilla and was presented at Camp Nou on 2 July, becoming a regular for Pep Guardiola in his first year with the Club and finishing the season with 54 appearances, a number he would only match one other time, in the 2010/11 season.
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His first goal for the Club came on 25 October 2008, with a long free kick in Barça's 5–0 rout over Almeria in Match Day 8 at Camp Nou.
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Alves was an active part of the history-making 2008/09 season, too, playing a key role in FC Barcelona's first treble. Under Guardiola, the Brazilian played in 34 league games, 12 in the Champions League, and 8 in the Copa del Rey.
- His second season at Barça saw him reach 100 official appearances with the team, a milestone that came on 4 May 2010 in a 4–1 Barça victory over Tenerife at Camp Nou. Alves celebrated the feat with two assists.
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On 25 January 2012 at Camp Nou, Alves scored his first goal against Real Madrid on a wicked shot from outside the area that squeezed into the upper corner. It came in the second leg of the Copa del Rey quarter-finals, a tie that Barça would end up winning.
- On 3 April 2012, in a game against AC Milan in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League, Alves played in his 200th official match for Barça. With 15 goals under his belt until that day, Barça beat the Italian side, 3–1, at Camp Nou.
- In the 2013/14 season, Alves was the absolute star of Barça's last-16 Champions League tie against Manchester City, finding the net in both legs. In the first leg Alves gave FCB a 2–0 lead over City on 89 minutes, and then three weeks later, at Camp Nou, he scored the decisive goal in a 2–1 victory that sent Barça through.
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On 20 April 2014, in a game against Athletic Club Bilbao at Camp Nou, Alves surpassed Phillip Cocu to become the foreign player with the second most appearances in Club history with his 293rd. Alves would end up with 391, shy of only Leo Messi, who currently has 531. A few weeks later the Brazilian reached the 300 mark in a match against APOEL in the Champions League.
- At the end of the 2014/15 season, during which Alves contributed to the second treble in FC Barcelona history, Dani Alves renewed his contract with the Club. On 3 December 2014, in the second leg of the Copa del Rey last 32 against Villanovense, Alves scored what would come to be his final goal with Barça.
- A little less than two weeks before announcing his exit, Alves played his last game with FC Barcelona. It came in the Copa del Rey final against Sevilla, which Barça won, giving him one more title, and it came against the very team that lured him to Europe.
from News at FCB http://www.fcbarcelona.com/football/first-team/detail/article/the-greatest-moments-in-dani-alves-s-career-at-fc-barcelona
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