One of Brazil’s biggest clubs Sao Paulo have released Dani Alves after the defender refused to play for the club amid a dispute over his pay packet. The veteran Brazilian, who returned to play in his home country in 2019 following a prolific decade-and-a-half spell in Europe, has parted ways with the Brazilian giants.Sao Paulo have confirmed that legendary Brazil right-back Dani Alves has left the club after a six-month-long stand-off over unpaid image rights.Monday, 02.30: (2.95) Fluminense (2.95) Sao Paulo (2.65)Back in March, it emerged that the Brazilian side owed Alves around $2 million – over ten months of his salary – but Sao Paulo were always adamant that they would find a way to pay up without needing to escalate matters.Unfortunately, they haven’t managed to do that, and Alves has grown so fed up of the situation that he has walked away following the international break. He told Sao Paulo directors that he will not play for them again until they pay their debts. In a statement released on Twitter, the Brazilian side confirmed that they simply could not pay Alves, and as a result, the 38-year-old will no longer be part of the squad.According to Globo, Alves was actually seeking more than the $2 million owed to him, but Sao Paulo refused to meet his demands and have instead parted way.Most trophies won as a football player 🏆Dani Alves: 43Leo Messi: 38Maxwell: 37 pic.twitter.com/s21sv5uPPU— Oh My Goal (@OhMyGoalUS) September 9, 2021 All eyes will now be on what Alves chooses to do next. He remains part of the Brazilian national team and is keen to secure a spot in the squad for the 2022 World Cup, so will need to find a new team pretty quickly.A move overseas is seen as the likeliest option for Alves, who could even return to Europe, where he was last seen on the books at Paris Saint-Germain in 2019.
