Dani Alves: The unheralded great of the modern game powering Barca's season

Listen to Dani Alves talk, even in the rather procedural setting of a pre-match press conference, and it quickly becomes clear that the Brazilian is not the most orthodox of footballing characters. Of course, you probably deduced that from his often eccentric dress sense or the Sylvester the Cat and Tweety Bird he has tattooed near his right ankle. He’s not the most orthodox of right-backs either.

He’s not really a right-back at all, in truth. To label Alves as a defender would pigeonhole him for the sake of classification. The 33-year-old isn’t so much a right winger either, despite his advanced position high up the pitch. He is Barcelona’s entire right side, from very front to very back, and has been for the best part of the last decade.

However, ever since his arrival at the Camp Nou from Sevilla in 2008 Alves has found himself a target. For as long as Barcelona have been considered European football’s predominant force Alves has been widely considered their weak link. For opposition sides facing the Catalans, the Brazilian was the one player they could exploit.

And yet here he is - five league titles, three Copa del Reys and three Champions Leagues later, having made more appearances than any other foreigner in Liga history, having been named in the FIFPro team of the year five times, having made more Liga assists over the past decade than any other player besides Lionel Messi - still patrolling the Camp Nou touchline. One can only imagine how much more he would have won were he actually any good.

This was meant to be the season in which Alves was to be finally replaced, with Aleix Vidal signed from Sevilla last summer. Sergi Roberto was also converted into a right-back, and an impressive one at that. The midfielder started the season in that position, looking at home in a role that was never originally envisaged for him when he first broke into the Barca first-team reckoning. Alves’ expiry date was surely nearing.

It’s true that in the awkward stint between the dynasties of Pep Guardiola and Luis Enrique - during the days of Tito Vilanova and Tata Martino - the Brazilian somewhat lost his way. Criticism was justified in many instances as the Catalans endured something of a transition, with Alves the embodiment of that insecurity. Some said he should defend more, others claimed that he could even be used as an option across the front three.

Instead Alves simply became Alves-max. He got better at what he was already good at, growing even more influential in a team that not so long ago could have done without his influence, at least going on common perception. This season has witnessed the Brazilian enjoy a renaissance.

Against Espanyol last week - when Barcelona needed three points to keep their nose ahead at the top of La Liga - Alves produced no fewer than three goals with crosses from the right side, underlining just how important he has been to the Catalans’ title push. If the likes of Andres Iniesta, Sergio Busquets and Gerard Pique are considered fundamental components of Barcelona’s infrastructure, then Alves must be too. He is an unheralded great of the modern game.

When the "modern full-back" is spoken about like a position in its own right, Alves provides the greatest precedent. Roberto Carlos might have pioneered the role a number of years before him, but Alves brought it back to the fore. His attitude towards defending isn’t just reflective of Barcelona’s as a team, but also of the footballing zeitgeist.

“What is ‘defend’?” he recently posed in an interview in typically mischievous manner. “That no one ever dribbles or attacks? Bloody hell, football would be boring, wouldn’t it? You can prepare [only] to defend but then the guy dribbles past you anyway ... What’s football for? To win. And to win you have to score more. The winner isn’t [just] the team that defends incredibly; if you defend well but don’t score, it’s worthless.”

This season won’t go down as a vintage Barcelona year, given the way in which the Catalans have so dramatically fallen away both domestically and on the continent, even if they can win a Spanish double in the next two matches. Enrique has plenty to ponder over the summer, charged with ensuring his side doesn’t suffer such a fate next season. On an individual basis, though, Alves has reached the summit of a late career peak.

In person Alves is an energetic and unconventional character, much like he is on the pitch. Personality remains an important trait for any team - even a team of Barcelona’s inherent quality - and the Brazilian brings as much of that to the Camp Nou as anyone else. If Barca see off Granada on Saturday to clinch their fifth Liga title in seven years Alves must take a generous share of the credit, even if so few afford him the same as a player.