Daniel Alves

Bahia

Alves made his professional debut for Bahia in a match against Paraná Clube for the 2001 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A. Bahia won 3–0, with Alves providing two assists and winning a penalty for the other goal. Head coach Evaristo de Macedo thereafter gave him a starting place in the team. In Bahia, he won the 2002 Copa do Nordeste. His consistently good performances landed him a transfer, at first on loan, to Spanish side Sevilla, midway through 2002.

Sevilla

After 2002–03, on loan to Sevilla from Bahia, Alves travelled to play in the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship, where he impressed as Brazil won the tournament. He was named the third-best player of the tournament and, after this, the Sevilla move was made permanent. In June 2006, Sevilla agreed to sell Alves to Liverpool, but Liverpool were unable to match Sevilla's asking price of around £8 million. In December 2006, he signed a new contract with Sevilla, tying him to the club until 2012. He had a successful 2006–07 season, making 47 appearances and scoring 5 goals. He played in every one of Sevilla's UEFA Cup matches, in a competition which the club went on to win. From his years in Spain, Alves acquired Spanish citizenship, thus allowing him to bypass any non-EU quota restrictions and exempting him from needing a work permit to play in any EU countries. On 1 August 2007, Alves told SporTV he wanted to leave Sevilla for a European giant, later reiterating his desire to leave Sevilla to Marca,…

Early career and 2007 Copa América title

Alves made his Brazil debut as a substitute in an unofficial friendly match against Kuwaiti club Al-Kuwait Selection on 7 October 2006. Three days later, he earned his first international cap in a friendly against Ecuador. He was included in Brazil's team for the 2007 Copa América. He appeared in four matches including the final against Argentina on 15 July, where he gave an assist to Roberto Ayala's own goal and scored a goal himself in the 3–0 victory.

2009 Confederations Cup title, 2010 World Cup, and 2011 Copa América

Despite being the most expensive right-back in history at the time, he was initially unable to hold down a regular starting spot in the Brazilian national team, with Maicon being the first choice ahead of him. Alves came on as a substitute in the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup semi-final against South Africa and scored the winner, a free-kick and a goal in the 88th minute in a 1–0 win. The following summer, he was named to Brazil's squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. He scored another long-range free-kick against Iran on 7 October 2010. The following year, Alves was included in Brazil's 23-man squad for the 2011 Copa América in Argentina.

2013 Confederations Cup title and 2014 World Cup

Alves was part of the 23 players called by coach Luiz Felipe Scolari to play in the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup on home soil. He started in Brazil's 3–0 victory over Spain in the final on 30 June, at the…

Alves is an offensive right-back or wing-back who is known in particular for his pace, stamina, overlapping attacking runs, and technical skills, which also enable him to play in midfield, or as a winger; he is also gifted with good crossing accuracy and distribution, which allows him to link up with midfielders, and makes him an effective assist provider along the right flank. In addition to his ability to create chances, he is an accurate striker of the ball, and is known for his ability to score goals in particular from outside the area or long-range set-pieces. Despite not being particularly imposing physically, he possesses significant strength and tenacity, which along with his energy, anticipation and work-rate, enable him to intercept passes or chase down and press opponents when not in possession, thus allowing him to aid his team both offensively and defensively. However, despite his skill and offensive ability, he has drawn criticism at times in the media for neglecting the defensive aspect of his game. During his time with Paris Saint-Germain, he also played as a central midfielder on occasion. He continued to play in a free role in midfield during his time with São Paulo, citing his desire to play in the middle in order to have more touches on the ball as the reason for this tactical switch, as out wide he had felt more isolated, and less capable of creating chances for his team. Regarding his unique interpretation of the full-back role throughout his career,…

Alves was born in Juazeiro, a city in the Brazilian state of Bahia, to father Domingos Alves da Silva, a farmer. He played football with the neighboring kids. Alves' father had a passion for football as well, and eventually managed to organize his own football team. Alves, at age 6, started as a winger, but because of the lack of goals he scored, his father re-positioned him as a right back, a position he still plays up to this day. Alves worked as a farmer and a trader in his youth.