‘I cried when Alex Sandro left’

TURIN, ITALY – JANUARY 03: Danilo, Brazilian footballer, exhibits his appreciation to the followers previous to the Serie A match between Juventus FC and US Lecce at on January 03, 2026 in Turin, Italy. (Photograph by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Pictures)

Danilo has opened up on some of the emotional moments of his profession, the day his closest pal and long-time teammate Alex Sandro left Juventus, in a heartfelt documentary produced by Flamengo TV forward of the brand new Copa Libertadores marketing campaign.

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The Brazilian defender spent a number of years alongside Alex Sandro on the Turin membership, having beforehand shared dressing rooms at Santos and Porto.

Their bond, solid throughout three totally different nations and a number of trophy wins, runs far deeper than soccer, and Danilo’s phrases made that abundantly clear.

Danilo displays on Alex Sandro bond & Juventus exit

“When Alex left Juventus it made me cry on the pitch, as a result of we had fought so many battles collectively,” Danilo mentioned, with quotes by way of the Corriere dello Sport.

“When he left I didn’t assume it could be that tough. It was then that I really felt his absence. Understanding how a lot we’ve got supported one another throughout our careers and in tough moments is one thing that makes me very happy, as a result of it has prolonged to our private lives and our households.”

Alex Sandro, talking in the identical documentary, was equally emotional in his tribute to a friendship he describes as lifelong. “We speak on daily basis and share emotions that few folks can think about,” he mentioned.

“For me he has all the time been a mirror, somebody I’ve all the time admired enormously. Our story as brothers, associates and teammates will final a lifetime, it received’t finish right here at Flamengo.”

The 2 at the moment are reunited as soon as extra on the Rio membership, with Danilo having returned to Flamengo, the membership the place he grew up, after his time in Europe. He admitted that successful the Libertadores final season and scoring within the last towards Palmeiras would have been the proper second to retire at 34, including that solely the unfulfilled dream of a World Cup with Brazil saved him going.

On that entrance, Danilo had heat phrases for Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti, whose path has crossed his personal in sudden methods. “Once I was at Porto and moved to Actual Madrid, it was virtually Ancelotti who purchased me, after which after I arrived, he had already been sacked,” he mentioned with a smile. “The sport is like that. However we discovered one another once more greater than ten years later within the nationwide group. It is a gigantic privilege to work with him.”

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