Dani Alves: Football's tireless trophy hunter has No.43 in sight
Brazil's Olympic influencer is a leader on and off the field at 38 years of age, stepping into Neymar's shoes with gold on the line in a box-office final against Pedri and Asensio's Spain.
Football
Dani Alves was first to put his hand up for a penalty against Mexico in the Olympic football semi-final on Tuesday (3 August).
He stepped up and coolly smashed the ball beyond the despairing dive of another veteran, Mexico's cult-hero 'keeper Guillermo Ochoa.
Alves set the tone and his penalty didn't just lift his own team; it seemed to deflate the Mexicans as Eduardo Aguirre missed their first spot-kick.
Next up was Brazil's Gabriel Martinelli, and the 20-year-old Arsenal striker followed his captain's lead by slamming his penalty to Ochoa's left.
When El Tri's Johan Vaszquez hit the post and Bruno Guimaraes slotted home his penalty, Borussia Dortmund's teen prodigy Reinier had a golden opportunity to send the seleção to the Olympic final.
Reinier, 19, was a babe in arms when Alves won his first professional title at Bahia - the 2002 Copa do Nordeste - but that mattered not as he scored to win the shoot-out 4-1 and start the noisy Brazilian celebrations.
Dani Alves was on his knees and Brazil were in the Olympic final.
"Now we focus on the main chapter of this mission and of history," he posted.
Dani Alves? Nervous?
Brazil are defending champions from when Neymar and destiny met with that decisive penalty in Rio five years ago.
Now Dani Alves can complete his glittering CV with Olympic gold.
A multiple league, cup and Champions league winner with Bahia, Barcelona, Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain and others, Alves is football's most decorated player in history with an incredible 42 trophies.
He could make it 43 on Saturday (6 August) at the Yokohama Stadium.
Despite all of those accolades, Alves has maintained his youthful delight for the game with his passion and desire undimmed by almost two decades in the deep end.
The boy who grew up milking cows on the family farm in Bahia has never lost sight of how far he's come, and he's given plenty back to the game that's given him so much.
"Those that know me know I have a youthful spirit," he told Eurosport before the Games, "and as it is my first time I will have the same sort of experience as the young lads.
“Even though I have enjoyed some big moments in my career, given this is my first time at the Olympics, I feel some butterflies in my stomach."
Dani Alves: A clown and a captain
As a seasoned pro, Alves knows well how to deal with those nerves, and how to help others feel the good vibes too.
Brazil's captain flips the switch between jester and baller effortlessly.
It's jokes and japes off the field but, on it, Alves has sent waves of assurance pulsing through the side with his performances.
The Bahiano leads the way in winning the ball back (16 times), in decisive passes (14), successful dribbles (eight), accurate crosses (eight), and interceptions (seven) according to SofaScoreBR.
Before Brazil had even touched down in Tokyo, Alves had gone viral for his in-air antics, dressing up as a flight attendant and taking over the pre-flight announcements.
But when it came time to step up and hold his nerve against Mexico, Alves' serious side showed, proving that he's probably the only footballer in the world who can be both clown and captain.
Just Dani Alves doing Dani Alves.
Dani Alves and Brazil v Spain Olympic final preview
Now Alves leads Brazil into an Olympic final against a stacked Spain team in an attempt to retain the title from Rio.
Both sides are unbeaten with Spain also taken to extra time in their semi-final - Marco Asensio's 115th-minute strike preventing the need for penalties.
They both boast global stars that have lit up Tokyo 2020 like Richarlison and Reinier, Marco Asensio and Pedri.
A gold medal in Japan could go some way to healing Brazil's misery after the defeat to arch-rivals Argentina in last month's Copa America final.
Meanwhile, Spain are in their first Olympic football final since Barcelona 1992 when Pep Guardiola and Luis Enrique helped lift La Roja to glory on home soil.
Whatever happens in Yokohama on Saturday, Dani Alves will be at the centre of it all.
He usually is.
Men's football schedule at Tokyo 2020
Friday 6 August
8pm JST local time (1100 UTC) - Bronze medal match - Mexico v Japan
Saturday 7 August
8.30pm JST local time (1130 UTC) - Gold medal match - Brazil v Spain
How to watch and follow men's football at Tokyo 2020
You can find out where to watch all the action at the Tokyo Olympic Games by clicking here.
You can follow events in football and all other sports from the Games, in the official Tokyo 2020 Olympics live blog .