Who was better, he or Cafu?
It's a difficult question because they played different roles for their clubs. Cafu wouldn't really play as high as Alves would at Barcelona's best years. Definitely not in the 90's.
Cafu was the epitome of solidity, Alves has flair. Cafu won everything at International level (when it still mattered), Alves at club level. It seems every record is being broken in modern football so I''d take numbers as a weighting factor on this with a pinch of salt, obviously Alves had a better career though. The guy's a winner.
Personally Cafu all the way. Not only for the way he played which was pure grinta but the way he presented himself. He is a hero for many people and a respected leader. Somebody I actually miss watching play. Alves is a cunt who talks nothing but shit.