After reading Dani Alves' fantastic interview with Sid Lowe for The Guardian, we thought it was time to re-share our favourite story of Barca's brilliant Brazilian.
(Originally published on May 6th, 2015)
In case you didn't know, Eric Abidal and Dani Alves are very close friends. The pair were key players in the Barcelona sides that won everything there was to win in European football a few years back, but in March 2011 Abidal's life was put in danger as he was diagnosed with cancer.
The Barca squad were rocked by the news, but Dani Alves was willing to make an incredible sacrifice as he made a truly extraordinary offer to his friend.
My Barcelona team-mate Dani Alves offered me his liver.
He was serious but I could never have accepted it. He also has a family and a career. It is a massive operation and it was too much.
Considering you only have one liver, that was a pretty extreme show of affection from Dani Alves.
Abidal continuted to explain that he refused to allow his Barca teammates to visit him in hospital:
For seven months, I didn't do anything. I had no strength. It was draining. No sport, no training. There were dark days - I was terrified that I would never be able to play again. I would wake up and barely have the strength to move a muscle.
I didn't let the Barca players come to the hospital. I didn't want people to see me like that.
Abidal went on to make a comeback to football and had spells with Monaco and Olympiakos before retiring last year, and Dani Alves obviously continued his Barca career with liver intact.
Still, huge respect to Dani Alves for the offer.
via The Mirror.
