Afghanistan
Angola
Argentina
Asia (AFC)
Asian Games
Australia
Belgium-Netherlands
Brazil
Burkina Faso
Central American & Caribbean Games
Central American Games
Congo DR
Denmark
England
Europe (UEFA)
FYR Macedonia
Finland
Germany
Greece
International Tournaments
Italy
Mediterranean Games
Mexico
National
Nepal
North & Central America (Concacaf)
Palestine
Pan American Games
Panama
Russia
Scandinavia
Serbia And Montenegro
South American Games
Spain
Syria
USA
Venezuela
World (FIFA)
Yemen
Zimbabwe

Dani Alves to fulfil boyhood dream and set new Brazil World Cup record

mirror.co.uk, 1 December 2022, 15:40
The former Barcelona defender, now 39, will captain the Selecao in their final group game against Cameroon on Friday, with Tite to ring the changes with Brazil already qualified for the knockout stages Dani Alves will captain Brazil vs Cameroon

Dani Alves will become Brazil's oldest World Cup captain in their final group game against Cameroon on Friday.

The former Barcelona full-back, now 39, was a controversial inclusion in head coach Tite's squad for the finals in Qatar amid claims that he had merely been called up to act as a minder for close friend Neymar. Alves, now plying his trade in Mexico for UNAM Pumas, will take the armband as Tite prepares to make wholesale changes to the Selecao's starting lineup, with top spot in Group G guaranteed if they avoid defeat.

Alves, who recovered from a knee injury to make his third World Cup finals, said: "For me it represents the fact that I can wear the Brazil jersey. It makes me very proud to be here. I've been with the Brazilian squad for many years and to be able to wrap up this cycle, playing a World Cup, makes me very happy.

"It's been 16 years with the national squad and I've tried to do my very best. Life, I think, always rewards the people who love what they do, who truly do their best in the mission.

"I think I'm reaping what I have planted over those 16 years."

While Alves will start on Friday, Tite is expected to choose either Juventus ' Danilo or Real Madrid's Eder Militao at right-back in the tournament's latter stages. He has insisted he is not yet looking towards a last-16 clash with either Ghana, Portugal or South Korea.

"We have 26 great players and I do not have time to be focusing on the broader picture," Tite said. "We are busy working, preparing our players. I have a little time to have dinner with my family after matches and the work goes on.

"We are fully focused on preparing for the next match. We have a clear objective.

"We have played two matches with two different teams and now we play the third match with a completely different team.

"We'll make a few changes, we'll include keys players. In two games we used 19 players. We do not call them starting players or reserves. They are all players."

Cameroon gave themselves a lifeline when hitting back from 3-1 down in their second group game against Serbia to draw 3-3, must win and hope Switzerland fail to beat Serbia to stand any chance of a last 16 spot. But even victory over the five-time World Cup winners may not be enough.

Head coach Rigobert Song said: "With regards to what is at stake tomorrow, we know the Brazilian squad off by heart. But we aren't worrying about what they're going to bring to the game, it's about what we bring to the game. Yes, they have already qualified for the next round. That's a luxury we haven't got, however we can't worry about what they're going to throw at us.

"We know they're a very strong team, but if we think about that and concentrate on them - are they going to shake up their squad? Are they going to rotate positions?

"I don't really care about what they're going to do, it's about us. We are preparing as if we're playing a final."

Read more

Qatar World Cup 2022

Eriksen's classy gesture

Neville comments on Maguire's revival

White leaves England squad

Ex-Chelsea star in landlord battle

Top News

14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Locked together at the top of League C Group 1 with two games to play, Sweden and Slovakia will battle it out to take the outright lead when they meet on Saturday evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal will reportedly allow out-of-favour defender Jakub Kiwior to leave the club on loan in January. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Wales travel to the Kadir Has Stadium in Kayseri to face Turkey in their penultimate League B Group 4 fixture in the UEFA Nations League on Saturday evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona midfielder Pablo Torre has not ruled out the possibility of leaving the club in January, after seeing his game time reduced recently. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Aiming to narrow their gap to the top two in the League One table with a third consecutive victory, Barnsley will visit the Abbey Stadium to take on Cambridge United on Saturday. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Alexander Isak has delivered a fresh update on his future at Newcastle United, amid reported interest from a number of clubs including Arsenal. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Roma have confirmed the appointment of 73-year-old Claudio Ranieri as their new first-team manager until the end of the season. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Newcastle United winger Anthony Gordon has revealed that he was "desperate" to join Chelsea in 2022. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal could rival Manchester City and Liverpool for the signature of Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool are reportedly weighing up whether to make a move for in-form PSV Eindhoven striker Ricardo Pepi. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk As exquisite as Pedro Neto's equaliser was, the Portuguese's 20-yard leveller for Chelsea in Sunday's 1-1 Premier League draw with Arsenal was arguably more to do with the Gunners' uncharacteristic defensive failings. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona have reportedly made a decision over whether they will pursue a move for Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Estevao Willian has revealed that he will continue with his education even after completing a big-money transfer to Chelsea. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City are reportedly going to give Real Sociedad "a long and hard winter" in their pursuit of midfielder Martin Zubimendi. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Embroiled in a fight against relegation to the UEFA Nations League's lowest level, Azerbaijan and Estonia will clash in Qabala on Saturday afternoon. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk England captain Harry Kane has reportedly emerged as a late doubt for Thursday's UEFA Nations League meeting with Greece due to a knock. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong is expected to be given the all-clear for Saturday's all-important UEFA Nations League clash with Hungary in Amsterdam. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Locked together on five points in League A Group 3 of the UEFA Nations League, the Netherlands and Hungary meet on Saturday in a winner-takes-all clash at the Johan Cruyff Arena. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Both vying for promotion to the UEFA Nations League's top tier, Albania and League B Group 1 leaders Czech Republic will lock horns on Saturday evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona sporting director Deco has insisted that his club are not currently looking to bring in a replacement for Robert Lewandowski, with the striker in excellent form for the Catalan giants this season. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City goalkeeper Stefan Ortega will be eyeing a debut for the Germany national team in Saturday's UEFA Nations League clash with Bosnia-Herzegovina in League A Group 3. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona sporting director Deco is confident that the club will be able to sign Pedri to a new long-term contract. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Needing just a point to all but guarantee a first-placed finish in League A Group 3 of the UEFA Nations League, Germany welcome Bosnia-Herzegovina to the Europa-Park Stadion in Freiburg on Saturday. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Christian Eriksen has revealed that he is 'yet to hear anything' from Manchester United over his future. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk As closely contested League B Group 1 nears its conclusion, promotion - and relegation - rivals Georgia and Ukraine will meet in Batumi on Saturday evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United are reportedly considering making a move for Dinamo Zagreb midfielder Martin Baturina during the January transfer window. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk With all eyes fixed on the January transfer market, clubs around the UK and Europe are already lining up potential mid-season moves. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk With all eyes fixed on the January transfer market, clubs around the UK and Europe are already lining up potential mid-season moves. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Kazakhstan vs. Austria (Thursday, 3.00pm) Amid a three-way battle for promotion from League B Group 3, Austria aim to improve their prospects with a win on Thursday, when they meet Kazakhstan in the UEFA Nations League. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Athletico Paranaense can temporarily climb out of the Brasileiro Serie A relegation zone with a victory over Atletico Mineiro on Saturday at Arena de Baixada.