Douglas da Silva Santos

Before he was a fixture at right-back for Athletic Club, Douglas da Silva Santos spent several seasons being passed between clubs on loan, a spell that took him from Flamengo de Arcoverde and Tuna Luso through Sete de Setembro EC to Boa Esporte Clube, with further loan stints at Uberaba, Iporá and Goiás along the way. It was at Iporá, in 2022, that he had his most productive run out on loan, scoring twice in 13 appearances. The move that changed his career came in January 2023, when he joined Athletic Club on loan from Boa Esporte; the switch was later made permanent. Known to supporters as Douglas Pelé, he has since made over 120 appearances for the club and scored six goals.

The 2025 season underlined his importance to the side. He played 32 matches in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série B, scoring twice and setting up four further goals, though he also picked up seven yellow cards over the campaign. He added 11 appearances in the Campeonato Mineiro, a competition in which Athletic Club are listed as champions for 2025. Right-footed and used almost exclusively on the right side of defence, Douglas Pelé's path to Athletic Club was built through loan spells rather than a single breakthrough.