Paris Saint-Germain full-back Dani Alves has revealed he plans to play in the Premier League despite snubbing an offer from Manchester City.
He has the most extensive trophy cabinet of any active footballer, with nearly 40 major honours, but the Brazilian who has previously represented Sevilla, Barcelona and Juventus believes it “is not possible” to end his playing career without experiencing the Premier League.
Dani Alves has won 33 career trophies at club level:
28 in Spain
3 in Brazil
2 in ItalyNext stop: Paris.
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— Squawka Football (@Squawka) July 12, 2017
The 35-year-old has seen moves to England break down in the past with many clubs professing an interest in the talented full-back.
Chelsea were reportedly keen on signing him in Jose Mourinho’s first spell in charge and a move to Manchester City fell through the summer of 2017 as the player elected to join Paris Saint-Germain rather than reunite with Pep Guardiola at the Etihad.
Time appears to be running out with the player in the latter stages of his career, yet Alves insists he cannot contemplate ending his career without playing in the English top flight.
“The idea that I might finish my career without going to the Premier League, it is not possible,” Alves told The Telegraph.
“For sure, this is the most amazing football in the world. First, because of the respect for the players from the fans, and then because of the passion on the pitch.
“If I can play, that would be perfect, but I will make it there one way or the other.”
Why did Dani Alves reject Pep Guardiola’s Man City?
Alves admitted that it was difficult not to join up with Guardiola at City after the success they had shared at the Nou Camp even though things did not end a happy note.
Alves added: “We had some ups and downs in our relationship and, just before he left [in 2012], he said something that really hurt me.
“But he phoned me to talk about it and we had a very special talk. And I like people that are able to say they need to be forgiven and to ask for forgiveness.
“So turning him down was painful. In football terms, he was one of the most amazing people I have known, completely obsessed with his work, but how he treated people was special, especially me.”
With Paris Saint-Germain dominating domestic football in France, Alves is now focussing on helping his side win the elusive Champions League, a competition that the club have invested heavily in to help realise those ambitions.
“At other clubs I have been, at Juventus, at Barca, we had two ‘ships’, one for the domestic league, and another for the Champions League,” continued Alves.
“Not many teams have better players than PSG, but they need to understand the competition they are playing in.
“They are very comfortable in the French league, but they need to raise themselves for games against the biggest clubs.”
PSG have been unplayable in Ligue 1 this season, winning all of their opening 13 games and scoring two or more in each. They have been struggling to recreate that form in Europe, however. They have won only one of their four games so far and will already be worried about their chances of making to the last 16.
The post Dani Alves confirms plans for Premier League move despite Man City snub appeared first on Squawka News.
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