Danilo #13

Profile

One of the few players to have won both Champions League and Copa Libertadores titles. Last year his header secured Flamengo their fourth Libertadores in the final against rivals Palmeiras. A right-back as a youngster, he adapted to the centre during his years at Juventus, and is now a rock in Flamengo’s backline, and their captain. Being a leader is something he has done since childhood when he took care of his three younger brothers while his father, a truck driver, and mother, a housekeeper, were away. "I prepared a feeding bottle for each one, because after the bottle they would fall asleep. I babysat all of them a lot," he told Globo TV. One of the brothers, Dener, said: “Danilo has always been that super-protective guy. Giving advice, scolding … He has also always been very studious, always top of his class.” The multilingual Danilo still prefers reading books to playing video games. “I read a little bit of everything, but what I like most are books that talk about human interactions, relationships, and stories of overcoming challenges and resilience.”

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