Danilo reflects on Alex Sandro departure and Ancelotti reunion
Juventus's former captain Danilo has opened up about the emotional impact of Alex Sandro's exit from the club last summer, describing how the departure of his long-time teammate brought him to tears. The Brazilian defender, now playing for Flamengo following his own move from Juventus in 2023, made the comments in an interview with his current club's official channel, highlighting a professional and personal bond forged over nearly a decade.
Danilo explained that he and Alex Sandro had spent practically their entire careers together, having played at Porto, Juventus, and for the Brazilian national team. "When Alex Sandro left Juventus, it made me cry on the pitch, because we had fought so many battles together," Danilo said. He described their relationship as one of mutual motivation and complementary personalities, with Sandro being more introspective and Danilo more energetic and communicative.
The 32-year-old admitted the full weight of the separation only hit him after Sandro's exit. "I didn't think it would be so difficult. It was then that I really felt his absence," Danilo stated. Alex Sandro left Juventus as a free agent in 2024 after nine seasons, joining a different Brazilian club, bringing an end to their shared daily routine at club level.
In the same interview, Danilo also discussed his connection with Carlo Ancelotti, the new head coach of the Brazilian national team. He revealed a transfer market backstory from 2015, when he moved from Porto to Real Madrid. "When I was at Porto and I went to Real Madrid, it was him who practically brought me there, who bought me," Danilo said. However, by the time the defender's transfer was complete and he arrived in Spain, Ancelotti had already been dismissed by the Spanish club.
Danilo noted the irony of their paths crossing again more than a decade later with the Selecao. "We ended up not working together on that occasion, but we found each other more than ten years later here with the national team," he said. He called it an enormous pride and a responsibility to now work under Ancelotti, whom he described as one of the greatest and most winning managers in history.
Danilo's move to Flamengo last August was a permanent transfer, though no fee was disclosed. His reflections come as he prepares with his new club to defend the Copa Libertadores title. His comments provide insight into the close-knit relationships within the Brazilian contingent that was central to Juventus's successes in the late 2010s, a group that has now largely dispersed. For the national team, his established rapport with Ancelotti could be beneficial as Brazil prepares for upcoming World Cup qualifying campaigns.
