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Tite explains why he brought Dani Alves to the 2022 World Cup

Jakarta

The summons of Dani Alves to the Brazil squad for the 2022 World Cup has caused public debate. Not a few who questioned the decision but Tite as the coach of the Selecao defended.

Dani Alves, now 39 years old, has been playing for Pumas UNAM in the Mexican League since last summer. He became one of four Brazilian players who did not play in Europe. The remaining three are Weverton, Pedro and Everton Ribeiro who play domestically.

This season, Dani Alves has appeared 12 times with Pumas, all of them starting. However, considering the age and level of competition where he currently plays, not a few feel that Tite should make room for others.

But the 61-year-old coach has his own opinion. Dani Alves as a senior player with a myriad of achievements is believed to have a significant impact on the Selecao squad, which is quite a lot filled with young players.

“He (Dani Alves) is one of our captains,” Tite told a news conference, as quoted by ESPN.

“I didn’t come here to make people on Twitter happy. I don’t even know how many Brazilians are active there. I respect differences of opinion, and I’m not here to convince everyone,” he explained.

Dani Alves is known as one of the best right-backs of his time, including with the Brazilian national team. But currently he is widely used as a central midfielder by Pumas.

The 2022 World Cup is likely to be his last major tournament with the Selecao. He previously donated the 2007 and 2019 Copa America trophies, the 2009 and 2013 Confederations Cups, and won the 2021 Olympic gold medal.

The debate about players being called up to the national team is nothing new. It happens in every tournament. When Brazil won the 2002 World Cup, coach Luiz Felipe Scolari was pressured to bring in Romario, but he chose to drop him.

(adp/krs)

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