Dudu

The number 92 on Dudu's back was picked by Atlético Mineiro supporters, a nod to the 9–2 thrashing the club handed Cruzeiro in 2012. He came through Cruzeiro's academy, made his senior debut there in 2009, and was loaned out to Coritiba the following year, helping them win the Campeonato Brasileiro Série B. A €5 million move took him to Dynamo Kyiv in 2011, where he added a Ukrainian Cup to his collection, before a loan spell at Grêmio preceded his move to Palmeiras, in January 2015. Dudu became one of the most decorated players in Brazilian football, collecting twelve major titles including four Brasileirão championships and two Copa Libertadores triumphs. He scored the equaliser in the 2021 Libertadores semi-final against Atlético Mineiro, the very club he would go on to join. A serious knee injury, rupturing his ACL and meniscus, sidelined him for ten months in 2023, but he returned, having already won the Bola de Ouro as the Brasileirão's best player in 2018. His return to Cruzeiro in December 2024 lasted only months; a dispute with coach Leonardo Jardim led him to terminate his contract in May 2025, with Cruzeiro paying a rescission fee to release him. He moved straight to Atlético Mineiro on a free transfer until 2027, taking a pay cut. Internationally, Dudu won the FIFA U-20 World Cup with Brazil in 2011 and later earned three senior caps, scoring once in a friendly against Colombia.