Ex Barcelona Star Dani Alves Opens Up on How He ‘Fought’ With Ronaldo Before a Ballon d’Or Ceremony

Ex Barcelona Star Dani Alves Opens Up on How He ‘Fought’ With Ronaldo Before a Ballon d’Or Ceremony

Godwin Nii Armah Tagoe
updated at April 12, 2023 at 8:12 PM
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  • Dani Alves has revealed details of his Ballon d'Or clash with Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo during his time with Barcelona
  • Ronaldo and Leo Messi's dominance saw the duo dominate the most coveted individual award for over a decade with the latter slightly ahead of the former, winning seven Ballon d'Or prizes ahead of CR7's five
  • Currently, in his 21st season as a senior team player, Dani Alves remains the most-decorated footballer in the history of the sport with a staggering 46 trophies to his credit

Brazil and Barcelona great Dani Alves has shed light on a behind-the-scene scuffle he had with Cristiano Ronaldo ahead of a Ballon d'Or Ceremony.

Alves, who made over 400 appearances for the Catalan giants across two spells, revealed that he was involved in a "tussle" with the then-Real Madrid superstar during his time at Barcelona.

Despite confessing his admiration for Ronaldo, the 39-year-old right-back disclosed the feud that ensued between himself and the Man United forward occurred at the height of the Barcelona-Real Madrid rivalry.

Dani Alves, Cristiano Ronaldo, Barcelona, Real Madrid, rivalry, Ballon d'Or, scuffle
Dani Alves challenges Ronaldo during the La Liga match between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid CF at Camp Nou on March 22, 2015. Photos by Angel Martinez and Alex Caparros
Source: Getty Images
"There came a time because of the rivalry that I would go over to greet him [Ronaldo] and he wouldn't greet me," he said on a podcast with UNAM Pumas team-mate Efrian Valverde via GOAL.

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"There was a controversy that never came out, but in the dressing room of the Ballon d'Or ceremony we had a scuffle, I greeted everyone and he didn't greet me because of what the Barcelona-Real Madrid rivalry was generating outside.
"But how can I not respect a guy who has achieved everything based on hard work and putting his heart and soul into it?"

Following the expiration of his brief second stint with Barcelona, Alves currently plays in the Mexican top-flight with UNAM Pumas, where he has made 12 appearances in as many games played.

Dani Alves slams Barcelona authorities for poor handling of club legends

Earlier, Sports Brief reported that Dani Alves has launched a scathing attack on Barcelona officials for poor communication surrounding his contract situation at the club.

Alves feels like the club does not value the club's legends like himself. He has been at Barcelona over two spells but is now a free agent after the club decided against renewing his contract.

The Brazilian was brought in as a stop-gap player for Xavi Hernandez last year and he went on to make 17 appearances in the La Liga.

Authors
Godwin Nii Armah Tagoe photo
Godwin Nii Armah Tagoe
Godwin Nii Armah Tagoe is a Ligue 1, Bundesliga, and La Liga editor with five-year experience. He previously worked with Sports Corna and 360SportsGH.
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