What’s the story?
Former Barcelona defender Dani Alves has aimed an insult missile towards Real Madrid and Jose Mourinho in particular, claiming they used underhand tactics in football matches to rile up the opposition and get under their skin.
Alves has never been a big fan of Madrid and playing for Barcelona meant there is even more animosity between him and Los Blancos. Speaking to Spanish outlet ABC he said, “Mourinho's Madrid didn't know how to lose. They played dirty.”
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Jose Moruinho remains so far the only manager since 2008 to lift the La Liga title and the only manager to prevent Pep Guardiola from winning the league. He is known for his defensive style of football and found a way to contain that Barcelona team.
In case you didn’t know...
Dani Alves had several run-ins with Cristiano Ronaldo and the two did not exchange pleasantries during the 2015 Ballon d’Or ceremony but since then have buried the hatchet and are now on good terms.
The heart of the matter
The comment from Dani Alves shows he hasn’t forgotten his past with Real Madrid. He is hated by the Madrid fans for his supposed antics on the pitch but what’s even more surprising is him claiming Barcelona don’t treat their players properly.
Towards the end of his time with the Catalans, he was rumoured to leave almost every season until he finally did last summer. But it is not surprising Alves made the comments he has about Jose Mourinho.
The ‘Special one’ has made more enemies than friends during his managerial career and Dani Alves seems to be part of that list. But the comment also seems to be somewhat of a compliment.
His quote about his teams not knowing how to lose is a testament to how difficult it was to play his teams. Being the only Real Madrid side since the last decade to win La Liga it’s no doubt Mourinho’s teams garner so much attention.
What’s next?
Alves is on course to winning yet another league title with Juventus this campaign. Even at the age of 33, the Brazilan is going strong. He plans to go into music once he retires from football something that suits him pretty well.
Sportskeeda’s take
Despite Dani Alves claiming Real Madrid play dirty, it is probably more of a defensive tenacity than anything. There have been several scuffles and one of the more violent ones when Jose gouged Tito Vilanova’s eyes was arguably one of the dirtiest El Clasicos in recent history.
