Alves's leadership of the young Brazil team has been evident in every game, including in the semi-final shootout win over Mexico where he strode up to take the first penalty kick. On Saturday, the former Barcelona defender will find himself 90 minutes away from becoming captain of a gold medal winning team when his side face Spain in the final in Yokohama. Yet when it comes to representing his country, Alves has never managed to be part of a team which has won a major global competition. It is an admirable approach and one which reflects Brazil's respect for the Olympic football tournament -- which they finally won five years ago on home turf in Rio. The Spaniards won Olympic gold at Barcelona 1992 and silver at Sydney 2000, losing on penalties to Cameroon in the final.

Source: The Star August 06, 2021 06:22 UTC