Danilo

Danilo's best-remembered moments belong to finals. In the 2011 Copa Libertadores final for Santos, he scored the goal that beat Peñarol and put the title away. Fourteen years later, wearing Flamengo's number 13, he did it again: the winner against Palmeiras in the 2025 Libertadores final, followed months later by a goal in the FIFA Club World Cup final against Pyramids FC. Few defenders anywhere have scored in as many decisive matches.

He started out at Tupynambás before moving through América Mineiro's youth ranks. The switch to Santos in 2010 was unusual in its structure: an investment fund and the club itself split the economic rights to the teenage full-back, with América keeping a smaller share. It proved a good bet. Porto signed him in 2012 for 13 million euros, and he left two years later as a two-time Portuguese champion and one of the most coveted right-backs in Europe.

Real Madrid paid 31.5 million euros for him in 2015, and he won back-to-back Champions League titles there before Manchester City brought him to the Premier League in 2017. At City he collected two league titles, an FA Cup and two League Cups, playing under a manager who prized his versatility across the back line.

Juventus paid 37 million euros plus a swap involving João Cancelo to sign him in 2019. He stayed six years, and in 2023-24 became the first non-Italian to captain the club since 1965.

Injuries have punctuated his international career at inconvenient moments: he was ruled out on the eve of Brazil's 2018 World Cup quarter-final against Belgium, and an ankle injury cost him part of the group stage in Qatar four years later. He has still made 75 appearances for the national team, was part of the side beaten in two Copa América finals, and won Olympic silver in 2012.

In January 2025 he left Juventus by mutual consent and returned to Brazilian football as a free agent, signing a two-year contract with Flamengo.