Barcelona legend turns against club, 'They don't care about those who make history'

Brazilian full-back Dani Alves is singing a very different tune just a little over six months since re-joining FC Barcelona. He returned to the Camp Nou over the winter with a mission to help manager Xavi Hernandez rebuild the club and revive its DNA. Now, after having been dropped after his six-month deal, he has some harsh words to say about the current state of the club.

"Since I arrived I made it very clear that I was no longer a 20-year-old and that I wanted things to be done straight, without hiding things. But this club has sinned in recent years. Barcelona doesn't care about the people who made history at the club. As a Cule [Barcelona fan] I would like Barcelona to do things differently," he said in an interview with The Guardian.

His words hinted that he may have been kept in the dark about the club's plans for him beyond his short-term deal. Clearly, he was not happy to have been let go so quickly. "I was happy to be back in Barcelona. I dreamed for five years of living that second stage. The only thing I didn't like was how my farewell was handled," he said.

Indeed, it was a dream comeback for Alves, who was re-signed by the club at 38 years of age more than five years since he first left. It was an unusual arrangement, but at that point the club was desperate to defibrillate its dying heart. Xavi also gave up his successful career in Qatar before recruiting Alves to bring the Barcelona DNA back into the club they both love.

Thanks to the collective efforts of everyone at the Camp Nou, Barcelona is slowly digging itself out of its massive debt. Not only that, Xavi was able to lead the team to a second-place finish in La Liga Santander, something that seemed impossible before his arrival.

However, they are rapidly moving forward with their plans for the future. The club has been busy locking down young talents to new long-term deals. Players are also being offloaded in order to slash the wage bill and generate cash to make priority signings. Alves ended up being excluded from the plans for the coming season, and it seems as though he is not taking it too well.

Nevertheless, he has nothing bad to say about Xavi and Joan Laporta. "I am eternally grateful to Xavi and the president for bringing me back," he said, before detailing his disappointment about the state he found the club in. "The mentality is totally the opposite of what we built a few years ago. Everything that happens on the pitch is a reflection of what happens off it."

Now, even at the age of 39, Alves is still looking for a fresh challenge post-Barcelona. He wants to find a new club for the coming season, one which he hopes will pave his way to appear in the upcoming FIFA World Cup in Qatar at the end of the year.

He has not confirmed his next destination, but various reports have been linking him with Pumas in Mexico or with a club in the MLS.