Juventus defender Danilo scored a vital equaliser against Atalanta last night, highlighting how the swap deal with Joao Cancelo in 2019 was a win-win deal for the Old Lady and Manchester City.
The Brazil international is playing his third season in Turin and became a regular starter under Andrea Pirlo last term after struggling in his first year under Maurizio Sarri. Massimiliano Allegri has also complete trust in the 30-year-old who has played 17 games across all competitions this season.
The former Manchester City defender remained out of action for almost three months due to an adductor injury but made his return to the pitch in January. He has played 95 games with the Old Lady since his move to Manchester City, scoring four goals.
Danilo joined Juventus for €37m in 2019, with Joao Cancelo moving the opposite way for €65m generating a positive economic effect of €28.6m for the Bianconeri.
Cancelo is now regarded as one of the best right-backs in the world and has developed massively under Pep Guardiola. No coincidence that the 27-year-old has recently signed a contract extension with the Premier League giants until June 2027.
Juventus needed to sell Cancelo because of economic reasons and also because the Portugal international hadn’t settled in well in Turin. Despite not having the same quality as Cancelo, Danilo has proved to be a more than reliable option for Juventus and has visibly improved defensively during his time in Turin. The Brazilian will likely get even more playing time over the next few weeks.
With Dejan Kulusevski off to Tottenham in January, Massimiliano Allegri will use Juan Cuadrado mainly as an attacking winger, so Danilo and Mattia De Sciglio have become the primary candidates to start at right-back.
Danilo is enjoying his life in Turin and Juventus fans love the player’s attitude on and off the pitch. The Brazil international was almost moved to tears when he was shown messages from his fans while on the sidelines because of his adductor injury earlier this season.
“I dedicate this goal to the whole team, because we put up with a lot over the last few months, we shut up and worked hard, so this goal repays the team for our efforts,” Danilo said after his goal against Atalanta yesterday.
“I have been around in various countries trying to find a club where I could do my work, be happy, play football, which at the end of the day is what I wanted. I found this opportunity at Juve, so this goal means a lot to me.”
Juventus have lost quality by losing Cancelo after just one season but welcomed a reliable option in Danilo, who is now proving his worth and commitment to the Old Lady. Eventually, the swap deal with Cancelo was a win-win deal.
Cancelo’s attitude problem would likely cause Juve a lot more trouble if he stayed. Juve sold him because of the previous incidents, not purely for money. They were still in very good health back then.
Danilo on the contrary is a hardworking, focused, dedicated, disciplined performer. He was a beast at Porto but somehow lost his way when he joined Madrid. At Juve, he did not improve but found his former self. Danilo is still a top defender for all that matter. I would take Danilo over Cancelo any day of the week, not even taking into account the money.
At the time €37m for Danilo seemed like a joke. He was regarded as a flop.
But he has played so well for Juventus and if he can play well in the CL he may well prove to be worth it.
Cancelo, yes amazing going forward but how well does he defend? He needs to be in a Pep Team that just attacks all the time. Not suited to Juve, at least not the current tactical team