Real Madrid have made a fast move in spite of their Catalan rivals Barcelona by purchasing highly-rated Brazilian defender Danilo.
Every individual in the football world knows the power, money and status of Real will lure even the strongest of minds. The last decade of signings made by the club has more than proven this.
Indeed the recent £23 million deal made with Porto for Danilo highlights this sentiment as well as their desire to improve their future prospects. The Brazilian international has signed a six year contract with the club which will run through until June 2021.
Yet it certainly begs the question of whether the 23-year-old will actually have a place in the Los Galacticos considering the vast spectrum of players already in their repertoire.
Danilo, a close friend of fellow Brazilian Neymar, was wanting to re-join his former team-mate in Barcelona, however, the Los Blancos capitalised on the Catalans’ indecisive nature as well as the departure of their sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta in January to make their swoop on the young star.
Nevertheless the player will improve the Real side in the upcoming 2015-16 season and plans are already underway to including the defender in the starting XI given it is the final year of fellow defender Alvaro Arbeloa’s contract.
Carlo Ancelotti has already expressed his praise of the after having had his eye on him for quite some time.
“Danilo is a player I like,” he said in a press conference in the beginning of March.
The former Porto right-back has been described as the equivalent of Marcelo and has a similar threatening presence. Indeed he also has been praised for his defensive skills, with the ability to track back quicker than most, including Dani Carvajal whom on consecutive occasions has been caught out in the backline
Danilo, like Marcelo as well as Dani Alves, is well-known for his defensive yet attacking mindset and loves to come forward. During his time at Brazilian club Santos, he was often utilised in a midfield role or on occasion in a winger position, where he scored numerous goals yet was also able to track back and defend.
Brazilian national team coach Dunga believes the 23-year-old is continually improving his attacking game.
“He is very solid in defence and is improving his attacking contribution all the time,” he said.
The Selecao defence, however, follow strict rules and are expected to operate mainly in their own defensive half and can only attack in a specific way due to a technical structure maintained by the side.
Critics believe he must improve his deliveries from wider positions if he is to maintain a permanent position in the Real starting lineup.
However the young player is not without confidence after having won two Portuguese domestic titles with Porto and has modelled himself on another Brazilian legend, Cafu.
“From my generation and in my position the player I watched a lot was Cafu, because he is a player who won a lot with Brazil,” he told UEFA.com.
“He was the captain of the national team for a long time, and he also made history outside of Brazil.”
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Indeed the signing of Danilo had shone light on Real’s plan to make a seamless transition by introducing younger players such as Martin Odegaard and Lucas Silva.
The current side has an average age of 26.2 years, all the recent deals made suggest they are actively buying players they believe will continue the success at the club for the next decade or so.
The signing of Danilo is merely another piece added to the puzzle which is the future of Real once the current headliner names finally choose to hang-up the boots.
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