‘I have always liked to change numbers and honour the people who, in a way, have inspired me and made sense to my life’
When Dani Alves eventually makes his first appearance of the season, he will be wearing a new shirt number.
The 35-year-old underwent knee surgery at the end of his first season with Paris Saint-Germain, the club he joined from Juventus last summer. He’s not expected to be available for selection until the end of the year but has revealed on Instagram that he will be wearing the number 13 shirt when he does make his return.
Alves wore the number 32 during his first year in Paris, but has explained his switch to 13 has been inspired by four-time World Cup winner, Mario Zagallo, who viewed it as his lucky number.
‘I have always liked to change numbers and honour the people who, in a way, have inspired me and made sense to my life,’ Alves wrote in the caption accompanying the Instagram post.
‘This time, this is for our idol – the unforgettable Zagallo.
‘I have always believed that any homage should be made in life. He is a person who has done a lot for our football, somebody who knows how difficult it is to succeed in what we do and somebody who encourages others.
‘He will always be deserving of my respect and admiration.’
https://www.instagram.com/p/BnBS1S-H6VD/?hl=en&taken-by=danialves
Zagallo played as a winger during his career, winning the World Cup with Brazil in 1958 and 1962. He became the first person to win the tournament as a player and a manager when he guided his country to victory in Mexico in 1970. He then won it for a fourth time as their assistant manager in the USA in 1994.
