Danilo Pereira has scored three goals in his last two games for Paris Saint-Germain, but what else is there to know about the Portuguese who was signed as a midfield enforcer?
Danilo got the fourth and final goal as PSG beat Stade de Reims 4-0 in Round 22 and followed that up with his first career brace as the capital club romped past champions LOSC 5-1 last Sunday.
Ligue1.com digs deeper on a player who has pulled off the rare feat of managing to outshine Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé in recent weeks...
Back story:
Born in the Bissau-Guinean capital of Bissau in September 1991, Danilo and the Pereira family moved to Lisbon when he was five and he spent some of his formative footballing years in the youth academy of Benfica. It was Parma who gave him his professional break in Serie A, however, the Italian side having taken a gamble on his talent after the Eagles had released him at the age of 18.
After loan spells with Aris Thessaloniki in Greece and Roda JC in the Netherlands, Danilo returned to Portugal with Maritimo in 2013, and two seasons later he had earned an international debut with his adoptive motherland and a move to FC Porto.
PSG drafted Danilo in on loan in October 2020 and he was often used as a centre-back under now-Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel, but fast-forward one season and the 30-year old is Maurcio Pochettino's most-used defensive midfielder, and one who is adding goals to his game at an impressive rate.
Style of play:
A defensive midfielder par excellence, Danilo's timing and sense of danger allow him to nip opposition attacks in the bud, but he is also capable of last-ditch interventions and loves nothing more than nipping the ball off the toe of an attacker when they are about to shoot. He also has a fine range of passing with the best completion percentage among Ligue 1 Uber Eats midfielders with 94.
Current campaign:
Danilo has started 11 of 15 league games as PSG have raced to the top of the table, 13 points clear of second-placed Olympique de Marseille. He opened his account for the season in a 2-1 win over Angers SCO in Round 10, but few would have expected him to be up to four goals in 1,060 minutes of football played so far.
Watch: Highlights of PSG's 5-0 win in Lille
What they're saying:
"I just lived with my mum; she was a nurse. She worked a lot and I used to be on my own, just going to school and playing football, being with my friends. There were some tough days, but it was good also, cos I was just a little kid with a lot of dreams."
- Danilo on his early years in Portugal.
"The new coach has helped me a lot. He explained to me what he expected of me as a player and as person. He increased my confidence and the confidence the coaching staff gave to me to do my job, whether it's in defence or midfield, and it's been that way since the start."
- Danilo on Pochettino's influence.
