Brazilian right back Dani Alves to leave Barcelona for 2nd time

By Can Erozden

ANKARA (AA) - Barcelona's veteran right back Dani Alves confirmed Wednesday that he will leave the Spanish club for a second time as his deal will expire June 30.

Alves, 39, bid farewell to Barcelona on Instagram.

"Now the time has come for our farewell. They were more than 8 years dedicated to that club, to those colors and to that house... but like everything in life, the years go by, the paths diverge and the stories are written for some time in different places - and that's how it was," said Alves.

"They tried to fire me but they couldn't do it. Because you can't imagine, can you, how resilient and resilient I am. Many more years passed until football and life, which as always, are very grateful to those who respect them, decided to give me the opportunity to come back here to say goodbye," he added.

Alves thanked fans for their support and the staff who gave him an opportunity to again play for Barcelona.

He also wished the team the best in the future.

Alves played for Barcelona from 2008 - 2016 before joining Juventus in Italy.

After playing for Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Brazil's Sao Paulo, he returned to Barcelona in November 2021 to play for his former club in the 2021-22 campaign.

He scored 22 goals and had 104 assists in 407 matches for Barcelona in his two stints.

This season, he played 16 games, scored one goal and had three assists.

Alves helped Barcelona win 23 titles including three UEFA Champions League and six Spanish La Liga championships.

He also won league titles with PSG and Juventus.

The Brazilian full back lifted the second-tier UEFA Europa League trophy in 2006 and 2007 while he was with Sevilla.

He amassed 125 international caps for Brazil and has two Copa America titles.

In addition, Alves claimed an Olympic gold medal with Brazil at the Tokyo 2020 Games.