Ex-Real Madrid striker and sporting director Predrag Mijatovic says that Juventus right-back Dani Alves is "a great player... but he has never been very intelligent with his comments."
Speaking ahead of Saturday's Champions League final between Madrid and Juve in Cardiff, Alves recalled that Mijatovic's winning goal when the teams met in the 1998 decider had been offside "or so I've been told."
Mijatovic responded on Spanish radio show El Larguero by saying Italian complaints that the goal should have been disallowed were misplaced, and claiming that Alves' comments were not correct but did not bother him.
"I am not bothered about the opinion of Dani Alves or the Juventus fans," Mijatovic said. "He is more 'Juventino' now than all their fans. The Italians explained their defeat by saying offside, but it wasn't.
"Dani Alves is a great player, and showed that at Sevilla, Barcelona and Juve, but he has never been very intelligent with his comments."
Alves outspokenness during his eight years as a Barcelona player often saw him embroiled in rows with the Madrid-based media, though the Brazil international's candour has also drawn praise for his willingness to talk about subjects such as racism, which are not always covered fully in Spain.