Copa America 2019: Dani Alves pays heart-warming tribute to Lionel Messi after Brazil-Argentina clash

What's the story?

Brazil captain Dani Alves has taken time to pay a heartwarming tribute to his former teammate, Lionel Messi, whose Argentina side was defeated by the Selecao in the Copa America semi-final.

In case you didn't know...

Argentina suffered yet another international heartbreak after they succumbed to a 2-0 defeat to Brazil in the semi-finals of the Copa America on Tuesday.

The game was embroiled in controversy as the Argentine players accused the referees of making decisions that were biased, with Alves' challenge on Sergio Aguero as one of the major points to back the claims.

Alves played alongside Messi at Barcelona for eight years before moving to Serie A heavyweights Juventus in 2016. Together, they won three Champions League crowns and six La Liga titles from a total of 23 trophies.

The Brazil international left the Old Lady after a brief one-year stint to join Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain. The defender is now set to leave the Parc des Princes with his next destination yet to be ascertained.

The heart of the matter

Following Brazil's win over Argentina, Alves took to Instagram to pay an emotional tribute to Argentina captain, Messi.

The full-back posted a picture of the two friends in an embrace and accompanied it with a caption that translates to, "Football is often about winning, often about losing, however, will never cease to exist the affection, respect, admiration, and connection with those who helped you put food in my house."

"There will never be any more gratitude to those who helped you put your name in the history of football. The greatness of people is measured not only by what they represent in their countries or the feelings they arouse with their profession. Often, it’s about what’s behind it all."

"Thank you for being part of my life and it is always a great honour to have you close to my brother again, even if we are separated by a shirt, we are connected by our essences! My respect!"

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Futebol muitas vezes é sobre ganhar, muitas vezes sobre perder, porém, nunca deixará de existir o carinho, o respeito, a admiração e a conexão com aqueles que te ajudaram a colocar de comer na minha casa, na casa dos meus.... nunca deixará de existir a gratidão com aqueles que te ajudaram a colocar o teu nome na história do futebol. A grandeza das pessoas não são medidas apenas pelo que elas representam em seus países ou os sentimentos que elas despertam com a sua profissão. Muitas vezes, é sobre o que há atrás de tudo isso. Obrigado por formar parte da minha vida e és siempre un grande honor volver a tenerte cerca hermano, aún que esteamos separados por una camiseta, estamos conectados por nuestras esencias! #mirespecto✊🏽

A post shared by DanialvesD2 My Twitter (@danialves) on Jul 3, 2019 at 6:53pm PDT

What's next?

Brazil are scheduled to face Peru in the much-awaited Copa America final on Sunday.