Dani Alves EATS a banana thrown by racist fan during Barcelona's win at Villarreal

Dani Alves answered fans' attempts to taunt him during Barcelona's 3-2 victory over Villarreal... by enjoying a mid-match snack at the Estadio El Madrigal.

In scenes that thankfully haven't been seen in this country since the turn of the century, a banana was thrown on to the pitch while the Brazilian defender prepared to take a corner.

But, instead of letting the the incident get to him, Alves calmly picked up the offending fruit, unpeeled it and took a hasty mouthful before carrying on with the game - bananas after all contain high levels of potassium that give athletes energy.

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Racist taunt: A banana is thrown on the pitch as Dani Alves prepares to take a corner

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Feeling peckish: The Brazilian defender unpeels the offending fruit as the linesman waits

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Potassium injections: Alves takes a substantial bite out of the banana before discarding the rest

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Replenished: After his mid-match snack the Barcelona full-back continues with the game

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Back to business: Alves takes the corner and Barcelona eventually come back to win the game 3-2

In fact, the 30-year-old commented after the game: 'I don't know who threw the banana but I want to thank him. It gave me the energy to put two more crosses in for our goals.'