Brazil, a 4-1 favorite for the World Cup, has been dealt a significant injury blow with its opening match against Switzerland only 37 days away. Starting right back Dani Alves — the veteran leader of the group with 107 caps — has been ruled out of the tournament after suffering a knee injury in Paris Saint-Germain’s 2-0 victory over Les Herbiers in the Coupe de France final.
According to Brazil team doctor Rodrigo Lasmar, who arrived in Paris on Thursday to follow-up on the full back’s situation, the 35-year-old faces a six-month spell on the sidelines.
The defender was a regular selection by manager Tite throughout qualifying, and victory in the Coupe de France final gave Alves the 38th trophy of his senior career, making him the most decorated active player in all of football. That's the kind of player you want in your squad at a World Cup finals.
Alves appeared in 17 of 18 matches for Brazil throughout qualifying, scoring one goal in a 2-2 draw with Paraguay.
In his first season in Paris following a move from Juventus, the former Barcelona star appeared in 41 matches across all competitions, scoring five goals and adding seven assists.
Alternate right backs for Brazil include Manchester City’s Danilo, Corinthians’ Fagner, Bayern Munich’s Rafinha and Palmeiras’ Marcos Rocha.
Alves appeared in all five of Brazil’s matches at the 2010 World Cup (starting three of them), and he started Brazil’s first four matches in 2014 before being left out of their quarterfinal victory over Colombia and subsequent annihilation at the hands of Germany.
Since he's got nothing better to do now, expect a tidal wave of quotes from Alves to dominate the ESPN FC headlines over the course of the World Cup. He’s one footballer that’s never shied away from the Messi vs. Ronaldo vs. Neymar debate. In fact, you get the feeling that he absolutely loves it.
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