He credits a psychologist with saving his career.
In an open letter published by The Players’ Tribune, Danilo described the difficulties he faced after his record €31m transfer from Porto to Real Madrid in 2015, despite support from his teammate Casemiro.
“During my first season at Real Madrid, I was depressed. I was lost, feeling useless. On the field, I couldn’t make a five-meter pass. Off the field, it was like I couldn’t even move,” he admitted.
“My passion for football disappeared, and I didn’t see a way out. I wanted to go back to my home in Brazil and never play football again.”
“I wasn’t seeing myself as Baianinho, Baiano’s son (that’s what they call my dad). I was seeing myself as Danilo, the “31-million euro transfer” — the most expensive defender Real Madrid had ever bought at the time.”
The turning point came when he sought professional help.
“Casemiro tried to help me, but I ‘swallowed the frog,’ as they say. And it kept getting bigger.
“But after a few months of suffering, I started seeing a psychologist, and he really saved my career. The most important lesson he taught me was to see the game through the eyes of a child again.”
“When you play football as a child, you never think too much, right? Your body and mind are in sync. Basically: you don’t care if you make mistakes. You just play. Suddenly, I stopped seeing myself as Danilo, the 31-million-euro transfer.”
Danilo, who joined Juventus from Manchester City in 2019, reflected on the honour of being captain for both Juventus and the Brazilian national team.
“When I received the captain’s armband at Juventus, it was a great honour,” he said.
“But when I received the captain’s armband for Brazil, it was something entirely different. An immense, incomparable honour.”
Danilo has played 197 games for Juventus, scoring nine goals and winning four trophies, including the Serie A title in 2019-20. He became Juventus’ captain in 2023.
The Players Tribune