Danilo on Juventus, Ronaldo and Ancelotti: ‘He works as if he has won nothing’

Danilo has looked back warmly on his time at Juventus, describing his years in Turin as a pivotal chapter both personally and professionally, as the Brazil international prepares for his third World Cup.

The 34-year-old, now at Flamengo after 14 years in Europe, spoke to The Athletic about the formative influence of his time in Italy.

“Everything that I lived before prepared me for that moment,” he said of his Juventus spell.

“I was more experienced, calm, focused on myself and football. Juventus was amazing and important because my kids grew up there. I was treated well by the people, I felt loved and tried to give that back. I played with Gianluigi Buffon, Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini, I learned from them how Italians live and play football, that passion and resilience.”

On the subject of Cristiano Ronaldo, with whom he shared dressing rooms at both Real Madrid and Juventus, Danilo was equally glowing.

“In Turin he was more experienced but still scoring a lot of goals, still professional all the time,” he said. “People think Cristiano is like an extraterrestrial, but he was a normal guy. Of course, Cristiano lives for football, in almost everything that he does, to be better every day.”

Danilo also spoke highly of Ancelotti, drawing a parallel between the Brazil coach and Ronaldo in terms of their ability to remain grounded despite their achievements.

“Ancelotti is like Cristiano,” he said. “One of the most famous people in football, yet he lives the days with us like a normal person. He’s humble, and this is one of the most important abilities of champions. He won a lot, but he works as if he has won nothing.”

For Danilo, the World Cup represents a final opportunity to add an international title to a collection that already includes league titles in Portugal, Spain, England and Italy.