Dani Alves

Alves's partnership with Lionel Messi made Barcelona's right side a place to construct attacks, not just deliver crosses. He combined near the touchline, moved beyond defenders and used space opened by the team's concentration of players in midfield. After a 2013 win at Granada, he explained that crowded central areas had freed him to advance. His attacking licence was therefore part of a collective arrangement: the team needed pressure and cover behind the combinations when possession was lost.