5 hours ago
29
Former Manchester City defender Danilo played a part in some extraordinary success at the Etihad and has continued a remarkable career
Danilo played a small but significant part in Manchester City's glittering CV from recent years. And the same can be said of Manchester City for Danilo. Signed in 2017, the Brazilian full-back was part of a major overhaul that saw Pep Guardiola look to bounce back after a chastening first year in English football. The Blues spent hundreds of millions of pounds after all four of their full-backs departed the club to revolutionise a squad that had looked tired and ill-equipped for Guardiola's demands.
Given that he was primarily a right-back, Danilo spent most of his two years at the Etihad in the shade of Kyle Walker. It was the former Spurs man who had been bought for nearly twice the cost and who started the majority of the games, with his fitness one of his many fine qualities as he was able to start multiple games every week without needing replacing.
Nevertheless, Danilo still started 40 games in all competitions across his two seasons at the club and that included coming into the first team for one of their most iconic matches. With Walker's form having trailed off horribly in December 2018, Danilo took over and was part of the team that beat Liverpool 2-1 in January 2019 in a thrilling match that ultimately stopped Jurgen Klopp's team from being Premier League champions, Centurions, and Invincibles.
Danilo was sold to Juventus at the end of that season after following up the 100-points campaign with a domestic quadruple as City upgraded with Joao Cancelo, who would go onto briefly become one of the best players in the league and reinvent his position. When the tale of Guardiola's full-backs are told, Danilo will only have a supporting role.
However, his career had been mighty before City - he won La Liga, two Champions Leagues and the Club World Cup with Real Madrid - and remains like that to this day. After a league title and two Coppa Italias with Juventus, the defender fulfilled a childhood dream back in summer to sign for Flamengo.
Last weekend, more than 6,000 miles from Manchester in Peru's capital Lima, the dream became a fairytale. Danilo scored the only goal of the game before making a brilliant block minutes from time to help Flamengo beat Palemiras and win the Copa Libertadores to make them Brazil's most successful team in the competition and book their place in the money-spinning 2029 Club World Cup.
What made it even sweeter for Danilo was how the moment was full circle for him - he had scored the decisive goal for Santos in 2011 when he was a teenager playing alongside Neymar. His haul of two Champions Leagues and two Copa Libertadores is unique in world football.
“I never imagined I would play in a final like this. I always imagined going far, very far, but not this far," he said after Flamengo's victory. "I took part in this story, I always prepared myself for these decisive moments in every club I’ve been at, but I have no words for this. I have no words.
"I could have gone to several clubs in January, it’s no secret, I had several offers, but I never thought about the money — I only thought about the need to keep winning and to fulfill that childhood dream of winning with Flamengo. That was my priority.
"I dedicate this victory to my father, who is a huge Flamengo fan. Yesterday he was traveling with my family to Lima, but one of my aunts passed away and my father had to return to Brazil, so he could not be here with my mother and my siblings. I wanted to dedicate this victory to him and to my whole family."
That final was the 29th trophy that Danilo has won in his career, and on Wednesday evening along came No.30. Flamengo beat Ceara at home to clinch the Brazilian league title ahead of Palmeiras with a game to spare; Sunday's match away to Mirassol will serve as a celebration for what has been an incredible week.
At 34, Danilo still has his eyes on more trophies in what has been a remarkable career. And having booked Flamengo's passage there, he may even cross paths with City again if the Blues can make the next Club World Cup.
English (US) ·