When will we see Dani Alves on the pitch in a Barcelona jersey again?

Dani Alves will definitely not play in the opening match between Barcelona and Mallorca in January. So the question remains when Xavi will be able to field him in a competitive match.

Dani Alves joined Barcelona as a free agent in November after agreeing to terminate his contract with São Paulo. The 38-year-old won everything he could in the Catalan capital during an eight-year period. He defended the club’s colours between 2008 and 2016.

Now, after five years, he has returned to Camp Nou to close his rich career and enjoy his last matches under former teammate Xavi Hernández. But until now, he has not been allowed to jump into a competitive match. LaLiga clubs cannot add players to the roster who arrive between the summer transfer window and the start of the winter window.

However, there is one catch. It means Alves will not be able to play for Barcelona in their first game of 2022 against Mallorca, which will be played on Sunday, January 2. The reason is simple. The official date for clubs to fully open their rosters is January 3.

So Alves and any other reinforcements will not be involved in the match against Mallorca. Barcelona will play their next game three days later, on January 5 at Linares in the Copa del Rey semi-final. So, in all likelihood, all the fans will be re-introduced in this match.

However, the Brazilian star could already be seen on the pitch a few days ago. She featured in a friendly match against Saudi Arabia in honour of the late Diego Maradona, where Barcelona faced Argentina’s Boca Juniors.

In the match, Alves was undoubtedly the main draw and put in an excellent performance. The match did come down to a penalty shootout, which Barcelona lost. However, the Brazilian successfully converted his attempt in the opening series.

Source: Football Espaňa