Dani Alves sets Barcelona record and produces sublime assist in Granada draw

Dani Alves became Barcelona's oldest La Liga player during their 1-1 draw against Granada on Saturday evening.

The Brazilian re-joined the cash-strapped club in November but was ineligible to play competitively until this month.

He made his second debut on Wednesday - starting the Copa del Rey victory against minnows Linares Deportivo - but Saturday's outing was his first appearance in La Liga since his return.

Alves started the game at right-back and produced the assist for Luuk de Jong's opener with a delicious cross in the 57th minute.

The visitors failed to hold on to their lead, as Antonio Puertas took advantage of Gavi's red card to equalise one minute from time.

Can Barcelona qualify for the Champions League this season? Let us know in the comments below!

The result leaves Barcelona sixth in La Liga, one point behind Real Sociedad in fourth. Granada, meanwhile, sit in 12th.

Alves, who originally played for the Catalan giants between 2008 and 2016, is 38 years and 247 days old.

The previous record holder was goalkeeper Jose Manuel Pinto, who represented Barcelona between 2008 and 2014 as back-up to Victor Valdes.

Pinto was 38 years and 188 days old when he last played for Barcelona in their La Liga title decider against Atletico Madrid in May 2014.

Alves reached another milestone during his cup appearance on Wednesday, playing his 1,000th professional game for club and country.

"I see Dani very well, he is a spectacular player with great intensity," said Barcelona manager Xavi on Tuesday.

"He has a tremendous competitive pace and he is a great professional. We need his passes, his runs, his talent."

Speaking after the game, Alves said: "It is a very special day for everything, for coming back, for reliving moments in La Liga and in the Copa del Rey.

"This has been magical as we have made a great effort to come back for the result.

"We must learn to compete and fight until the last moment, because you need to be a team who can fight if you are to win anything."

It's unclear what role Alves will play at Barcelona, although it appears he'll be a regular for Xavi after starting two games in the space of a few days.

The three-time Champions League winner played at right-back against Granada but found himself in a more advanced role in the cup.

"Xavi put together a plan to have more of the ball and more output, so I am playing between a full-back and the midfield, filling spaces," explained Alves on Wednesday.

"It is a position that I dominate, having such quality players by my side makes things easier."

Barcelona's next game is against bitter rivals Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup semi-final on Wednesday evening.

The mini-tournament will be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and will welcome four teams for the third consecutive year.

Barcelona will face the winner of Atletico Madrid vs Athletic Bilbao in the final on Sunday, January 16 if they beat Real.