How Dani Alves almost signed for Real Madrid instead of Barcelona

Dani Alves is desperate to beat Real Madrid on Saturday. The Brazilian spent eight years at Barcelona and has more victories against Los Blancos than any other player. But had things been different, the Juventus right-back could have been turning out on the opposite side in Cardiff.

Beating Barca was bittersweet, says Alves

Alves spiced up Saturday's match by remembering the last Champions League final between Madrid and Juventus, which the Spanish side won in 1998 thanks to a solitary strike from Predrag Mijatovic. "That goal was offside," he said in Friday's pre-match press conference.

Replays of the goal seem to suggest he was right, although none of those show the position of Gianluca Pessotto, who seconds earlier had been standing close to the corner flag and may have played the former Yugoslavia striker on.

In any case, Alves also recalled how he had helped to deny Madrid from winning the Champions League in 2011 as Barca beat Los Blancos in the semi-finals. "I stopped them from winning a cup and now I have the opportunity to stop them from claiming another," he said.