 |
| GREAT COMBO |
Danilo and Neymar share worse memories of the 2012 London Olympic Games. Brazil missed out on a gold medal after losing to Mexico in the final. Danilo also found the net in London, opening the scoring in the game against New Zealand.
He missed out on a place at the 2014 World Cup, mainly because Luiz Felipe Scolari preferred the experience of Dani Alves and Maicon. He has had more chances to shine since Dunga's return to the Brazil dugout, and he has made the most of them. He started seven out of eight games and cemented his place in a new-look Brazil side.
Brazil won seven out of seven matches with him starting at the back. They only conceded two goals in those games despite facing Argentina in Beijing and France in Paris.
Last Sunday, in London, he almost completed a perfect pass to set up Firmino in Brazil's win over Chile. The defender put in a good game and drew praise from his coach. Danilo looks increasingly more settled in the national team. He focused on the defensive aspect of his game in his first few games, but he's slowly letting loose in attack", said Dunga.
He joined Porto from Santos in 2012 for €13m. Having started his career in midfield, it took him a while to adapt to his new defensive role, but he has since improved that aspect of his game and bulked up physically.
