It’s time to quit football; “I was 24 years old” |

Danilo still remembers his time in real Madrid. Not for the better, but he remembers: from 2015 to 2017, the Brazilian was part of the main team of the white team. However, the experience was not positive. Now, ahead of the 2024 Copa America, where he will captain Brazil, Danilo looked back on his career with Brazil. Players’ Tribune. “Listen, I’m human. I wasn’t always in the best shape. To be even more sincere, During my first season at Real Madrid I was depressed.“He admits.

The Brazilian defender failed to live up to the expectations generated by his move from Porto. “I was lost, feeling useless. On the field, he was unable to make a five-metre pass.. Off the field, it was like I couldn’t even move,” he recalls of the months when injuries kept him a regular starter. Carvajal. In his first season, Danilo played 31 games, although he barely made 25 in his second.

“I didn’t see myself as Bayaninho, the son of Bayano (that’s what they call my father). I saw myself as Danilo, “signing 31 million euros.” the most expensive defender bought by Real Madrid at that time“, explains Danilo, who spent four years at Porto. “My passion for football disappeared and I saw no way out. I wanted to go back to my home in Brazil and never play football again“.

The day he wanted to “quit football”

From the number your most negative memories There is one that stands out among all. In October 2016, Real Madrid met with Alaves. And this is how Danilo remembers it in his own words: “Theo Hernandez stole the ball from me and crossed for Deiveson to score. We still won 4-1, but it was a mistake that can’t be made at Real Madrid. I will never forget coming home that night and not being able to sleep. I wrote in my diary: I think it’s time to quit football. I was 24 years old“, recognize.

Not once, Santiago Bernabeu reacted to his mistakes with whistles, murmurs and doubts.. “What part of me really felt the pressure? The boy who became a real revelation at the right-back position in Porto? Or the boy from Bikas who suddenly joined the biggest team in the world? The answer was clear. You will always be the child inside you.”

During his worst moments, a teammate showed up. Another Brazilian from the first team, Casemiro, was interested: “I didn’t tell anyone how I felt. Casemiro tried to help me, but I “swallowed a toad,” as they say. And it kept getting bigger. After months of suffering, I started seeing a psychologist and it truly saved my career.“, recognize.

Two years after arriving in Madrid, Danilo is sold to Manchester City. for an amount very similar to what they bought from him. He only spent two years in the Premier League because citizens They agreed to a trade for Joao Cancelo, so Danilo signed with Juventus in 2019, where he is one of the captains.

Conversation between “Uncle” Danilo and Endrik

In the lengthy letter, Danilo also made room to appreciate the new generation of youngsters in the Brazilian national team. Among all of them, Endrik – favorite student, who will move to Real Madrid in the summer. “I think we could all learn something from younger players like him. Look what he did against England. I barely knew how to talk to him while we were having breakfast at the hotel. I felt like your uncle“.

Leading up to this match, Danilo knew his young teammate was ready to take the plunge. But when he scored, he didn’t even come close. Fatigue and the need to drink water on the bench prevented him from doing this. But Endrik wanted to know his captain: “He came to hug me like a child having fun in the park.Then Danilo decided to teach him a lesson: “After the game, as captain, I had to be honest. I said, “Andrick, you were great, but you should have scored the second goal, man.”The shocked forward replied: “Danilo, I didn’t even know what I was doing.” This speech from the Juventus player epitomized the spirit he now wants to establish in the national team.

So much so that he even surprised his teammates, who, leaving the grass, asked him: “Don’t you think you were too aggressive? It was just a friendly meetingDanilo even got angry, answered with a categorical “no” and explained what his mentality would be in the future: “See how other teams play against ushow hard they attack our strikers. There is never any leniency. It’s a hard lesson that I think we’ve learned.“.