Brazilian and Barcelona legend D.Alves revealed in an interview that he doesn't watch as much football as he used to after being released from prison. When asked to name the greatest player in football history, he unhesitatingly chose his former teammate Messi.
The former Brazilian defender frankly admitted on the "Metanoia" program that he no longer follows football with the same intensity as before: "I don't want to lie, I watch a lot less football now, because football can make you picky, and blessings and curses cannot flow from the same source at the same time."
D.Alves also spoke about the pressure young players face: "I know how difficult it is for an 18-year-old to shoulder the responsibility of a team. I don't even want to watch them, so I don't become someone who criticizes what I once did. It's illogical to criticize those mistakes today, because I made those mistakes myself."
When asked about the greatest player in history, the Brazilian unhesitatingly mentioned Messi, believing that Messi's influence on the game is greater than anyone else's.
D.Alves said, "Messi's position in football is like Christ to us." He emphasized that Messi is "the person who has the greatest impact on the game," and his presence completely changes the course of a match.
D.Alves also recalled his years working with Messi at Barcelona and called Messi the best player he had ever collaborated with: "When you play with Messi, your job is simple. You just need to pass him the ball and sit in the front row to enjoy."
The Brazilian also took the opportunity to reflect on an experience from his career. In his opinion, many players want to distinguish themselves by doing more, but the real key is often to simplify the game: "Sometimes, doing simple things well is the hardest. When you truly understand this, you will start to stand out in ways others won't, because they always want to do more, but sometimes what they should do is less."