Brazil loses PSG and former Barcelona star Dani Alves for World Cup due to injury and here's who could replace him
The star defender was a potential captain for the Selecao this summer
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1 min read
Brazil national team star defender Dani Alves will miss this summer's World Cup due to an ACL injury. The Brazilian national team confirmed that he will be unavailable for the tournament on its Instagram account on Friday, dealing one of the favorites a massive blow just over a month before the competition begins in Russia.
A player who really captures the excitement, flair, skill and beauty of the game that the Brazilian team brings, the 35-year-old picked up the injury with Paris Saint-Germain at the weekend in the French Cup final against Les Herbiers. The national team's doctor said he will need six months to recover and will need surgery, according to Globo .
So where does Brazil turn to here? There's no doubt that whoever they pick, that player won't be able to star on both ends of the field like the PSG man does. They could go with Corinthians defender Fagner Lemos, who has four caps and an ability to help in attack. But if they look to move somebody over from left back behind Marcelo, it could be Felipe Luis or Alex Sandro.
Other options include Danilo of Manchester City and Bayern Munich's Rafinha.
As for Sandro, he has performed well for Juventus over the last couple of seasons following a productive tenure at Porto and can really get forward to help in attack.
In the end, it's a tough blow for this team and one manager Tite will surely lose a bit of sleep over as he tries to solve his starting XI. It isn't an injury that would move Brazil off the contender line like losing Neymar, but it is one that could make the team a bit more defensive as a result.
On Monday, teams have to provide 30 provisional names for the tournament and select the final 23-man roster by June 4.
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