DANI ALVES has returned to his humble home of Juazeiro as he closes in on a mega-money move to Manchester City.
The millionaire Juventus defender, 34, is a target for the Premier League giants as part of a transfer that would see him reunited with his former boss at Barcelona, Pep Guardiola.
However, while Alves’ representatives haggle with Manchester City over a move, the full-back has returned home to Brazil.
Alves has gone back to his modest roots in the city of Juazeiro in the state of Bahia, clearly not forgetting his poverty-stricken start to life.
It is there that Alves grew up and he has posted on social media to show the humble beginnings he has risen from, including the dirt camp where he learned to play football.
The Brazilian posted a picture sat in his old tiny bedroom with the message: “Life is hard for those who are soft, my town.
"And coming back here is useful to purify my happiness.
"I do not need money or applause, I only need health, a good bed, a mattress and a lot of willpower."
Alves is seemingly using the trip back home to remember his roots as he closes in on a lucrative move to Manchester City.
Reports in Italy claim the right-back will bank around £4million a year by moving to the Etihad, however growing up he played his football in very different surroundings.
Indeed the Brazilian showcased via a video how he used to play on a dirt pitch with not even the slightest trace of a blade of grass.
MOST READ IN SPORT
Despite that, during the video, Alves jokingly invited all of football’s biggest stars to join him for a game there.
He said: "In Juventus stadium, in Camp Nou, Bernabeu, Emirates, I want you all playing here, Messi, Neymar… all those who are football stars."
Leave a comment