Barcelona fullback Dani Alves revealed he almost joined Real Madrid instead of the Catalan giants.

Alves signed for the La Liga champions in 2008 for a then-record fee for a fullback when Barcelona paid Sevilla 30 million euros. But Alves said his fate might have been different had he seen through a move to Real Madrid which he says was almost done.

The revelation came during a Spanish radio interview in which Alves discussed Neymar's future at Barcelona.

"People should know Neymar and his family better before they give their opinion," Alves told Spanish radio station Onda Cero. "In life, people move on their interests and even more when money is an issue.

"I never hid my move to Real Madrid was almost done ... my fate changed and I arrived at Barcelona instead."

His career has been on an upward trajectory since.

In his first season at the club, Alves won a remarkable treble of trophies in Pep Guardiola's famous side that captured La Liga, Champions League and Copa del Rey triumphs during the 2008-09 campaign.

Since, he has won a further four league titles, two Champions Leagues and two Copa del Rey winners' medals.