SUMMARY
- While Dani Alves was in FC Barcelona, Ronaldo was in Real Madrid. The rivalry between the two was intense.
- There was a recent post on X claiming that Alves praised Ronaldo after they both left their old team.
Dani Alves, the former FC Barcelona full-back was one of the great soccer players of his generation. He won numerous trophies and was a crucial part of the Barcelona UCL winning squad in 2015. Recently a lot to talk has been about him and his rival Cristiano Ronaldo.
Cristiano Ronaldo played for Real Madrid FC, Dani Alves’ rival club, and they both often came against each other over many years. Cristiano used to get the better of Dani at times and vice versa. However, a post on X recently claimed that Dani said, “Now that I’m no longer at Barca, I can say, I love Cristiano Ronaldo. He is the most difficult opponent I have faced. That b****** doesn’t let you breathe for a second.”
Dani Alves: “Now that I’m no longer at Barca, I can say, I love Cristiano Ronaldo. He is the most difficult opponent I have faced. That b****** doesn’t let you breathe for a second.” pic.twitter.com/jsFDEzz2L4
— CristianoXtra (@CristianoXtra_) February 18, 2024
These statements made by Dani Alves are completely false as he never said anything like this regarding Cristiano Ronaldo. He has been a loyal player for FC Barcelona and has immense respect for the club, its fans, and its culture. Although they do not see eye to eye off the field, Dani has huge respect for Ronaldo.
Dani Alves shares his views on Cristiano Ronaldo
Brazilian right-back Dani Alves, a former Barcelona defender, has always seemed to be vocal about issues that are important to him, he has now revealed his thoughts on Cristiano Ronaldo. He said, “I love Cristiano. Now that we’re no longer at Barcelona and Real Madrid, it seems that I can talk, because it always seemed like I couldn’t,” Alves described on Efrian Velarde’s podcast.
When Cristiano Ronaldo destroyed Messi, Dani Alves & Busquets just with using his pace in 2011. 🐐pic.twitter.com/UPEYJHkJkE
— The Random Guy (@RandomTheGuy_) February 15, 2024
Even if Real Madrid and Barcelona have a strong rivalry, it is surprising to learn that a player on one club is unable to speak openly about a player on the other. Such is the immense rivalry between the two Spanish powerhouses in the sport. On the other hand, Dani has been a loyal player for Barca and for him to come out and say this regarding Cristiano speaks volumes of the rivalry that they shared back then.
Dani Alves opens up on the Ballon d’Or 2015 saga regarding Cristiano Ronaldo
During the 2015 Ballon d’Or ceremony a lot unfolded behind the scenes as Dani Alves slammed Cristiano Ronaldo stating that he did not deserve to be nominated for the accolade. This put the soccer community in shock and Dani faced a lot of backlash from the Madrid fans and the soccer community.
ON THIS DAY IN 2015:
Cristiano Ronaldo presented his 3rd Ballon dor to the Santiago Bernabeu.
EARNED NOT GIVEN pic.twitter.com/ymzWipWL4C
— 𝕮𝕽7 𓃵 (@PrimeCRonaldo) January 14, 2024
However, in 2022 Dani changed his tune and shed some light on this matter. He said, “I identify with him (Cristiano) because everything I’ve done in my life has been based on work. If you were to make a comparison, as a player I’m closer to Cristiano than Leo because of the work, not because of the talent, because Leo is a born talent.”
The Brazil international felt that Lionel Messi, who finished just ahead of teammate Neymar, should have been the recipient of the Ballon d’Or in 2015. Also, Ronaldo did not deserve to be on the podium because goalscoring is not the only thing that matters in soccer as per Dani back then.