Danilo Pereira
Pereira playing for Paris Saint-Germain in 2021
Personal information
Full name Danilo Luís Hélio Pereira[1]
Date of birth (1991-09-09) 9 September 1991 (age 32)[1]
Place of birth Bissau, Guinea-Bissau
Height 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)[1]
Position(s) Defensive midfielder, centre-back
Team information
Current team
 Paris Saint-Germain
Number 15
Youth career
1999–2005 Arsenal 72
2005–2008 Estoril
2008–2010 Benfica
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2010–2013 Parma 5 (0)
2011 → Aris (loan) 5 (2)
2012–2013 → Roda (loan) 31 (1)
2013–2015 Marítimo 57 (4)
2015–2021 Porto 135 (15)
2020–2021 → Paris Saint-Germain (loan) 23 (2)
2021– Paris Saint-Germain 80 (7)
International career‡
2009 Portugal U18 5 (1)
2009–2010 Portugal U19 17 (0)
2010–2011 Portugal U20 19 (3)
2012 Portugal U21 3 (0)
2015– Portugal 70 (2)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Portugal
UEFA European Championship
Winner 2016 France
UEFA Nations League
Winner 2019 Portugal
FIFA Confederations Cup
Third place 2017 Russia
FIFA U-20 World Cup
Runner-up 2011 Colombia
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 21:42, 17 March 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 20:39, 16 October 2023 (UTC)

Danilo Luís Hélio Pereira CvIH ComM (born 9 September 1991), known as Danilo Pereira (Portuguese pronunciation: [dɐˈnilu pɨˈɾɐjɾɐ]) or simply Danilo, is a professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder or centre-back for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain and the Portugal national team.

He came through Benfica's youth academy, before signing with Italian Serie A side Parma in 2010. He was consecutively loaned to various clubs, before being signed by Marítimo in 2013. In July 2015, he joined Porto for a reported fee of €4.5 million, winning two Primeira Liga titles and one Taça de Portugal while being part of the squad that won a domestic double in 2020, making 202 official appearances for them. In October 2020, he moved to French side Paris Saint-Germain on an initial one-year loan deal; it was made permanent at the end of the season.

Born in Guinea-Bissau, Pereira represented Portugal at youth level at under-18, under-19, under-20 and under-21 levels, reaching the final of the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup. He made his senior international debut in 2015, and was part of the squads that won UEFA Euro 2016 and the 2019 UEFA Nations League Finals on home soil.

Club career

Early career

Born in Bissau, Guinea-Bissau as the oldest child of Quinta Djata, a nurse, Pereira and his family moved to Portugal when he was five. He played his youth football with three clubs in the Lisbon area, finishing his development with Benfica.[2]

Benfica subsequently decided against signing Pereira to a professional contract, and Italian side Parma acquired him on a free transfer.[3] He spent the second half of the 2010–11 season on loan to Aris in Greece and, upon his return to the Stadio Ennio Tardini, made his first appearance in Serie A on 21 December 2011, coming on as a late substitute in a 3–3 home draw against Catania.[4]

Pereira was loaned again for 2012–13, spending the campaign with Roda in the Eredivisie[5] and being first choice to help his team narrowly avoid relegation.

Marítimo

On 1 August 2013, Pereira returned to Portugal, signing with Marítimo.[6] He made his Primeira Liga debut 17 days later in a 2–1 home victory over his former club Benfica,[7] and scored his first goal on 19 December in the 2–2 home draw with Braga.[8] He made 32 competitive appearances during the season, helping his team to a sixth-place finish to narrowly miss out on qualification for the UEFA Europa League.[9]

Pereira played his last match for the Madeirans on 29 May 2015 in the final of the Taça da Liga, lost 2–1 against Benfica.[10][11]

Porto

On 2 July 2015, Pereira agreed to a four-year contract with Porto for a transfer fee of €4.5 million, the highest sale in Marítimo's history, with a buyout clause of €40 million.[12][13] He scored a career-best six goals – from 33 appearances – in his first year, in a runner-up finish.[14] In October 2016, he was named Porto's footballer of the year after winning the "Dragão de Ouro" award.[15]

Pereira was elected the Primeira Liga's midfielder of the month in September 2017, a feat he replicated in December.[16] He suffered a calf injury during a League Cup game at Sporting CP on 24 January 2018, going on to be sidelined for several months.[17]

In the final of the Taça de Portugal, on 25 May 2019 against Sporting, following a 2–2 draw after extra time and despite Pereira converting his attempt, Porto lost the penalty shootout 5–4.[18][19] After the departure of Héctor Herrera for Atlético Madrid, he became the captain.[20] His team won the league title that season, and he opened the scoring in the 2–0 home win over Sporting that sealed the crown on 15 July 2020.[21]

Paris Saint-Germain

On 5 October 2020, Pereira joined Paris Saint-Germain on a one-year loan for a reported fee of €4 million with a conditional obligation to buy at the end of the season for €16 million.[22][23] He made his debut 15 days later, in a 2–1 home loss against Manchester United in the group stage of the UEFA Champions League.[24] His Ligue 1 bow was also that month, in the 4–0 rout of Dijon also at the Parc des Princes, where he featured as a central defender.[25] His first goal came in the reverse fixture against the latter adversary on 27 February 2021, when he headed in a cross from a corner (same score).[26]

PSG eventually finished second to Lille in the league.[27] This triggered the obligation to make the move permanent, and Pereira therefore became linked to the club until 2025.[28] On 6 February 2022, he scored a brace for the first time in his career to help his team to a 5–1 away win over Lille,[29] and won his first league title that campaign contributing five goals.[30][31]

On 22 August 2023, Pereira was elected vice-captain by his teammates.[32]

International career

Pereira chose to represent Portugal internationally. He was part of the under-20 side that finished second at the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Colombia,[33] playing all seven games (six complete) and scoring in the 2–0 semi-final win over France.[34][35]

Pereira made his senior international debut on 31 March 2015, replacing fellow debutant Bernardo Silva after 62 minutes of an eventual 0–2 friendly defeat to Cape Verde in Estoril.[36] He was also selected for the UEFA Euro 2016 squad by manager Fernando Santos,[37] scoring his first goal in the last warm-up game, a 7–0 victory against Estonia in Lisbon on 8 June.[38] He made five appearances for the champions in the finals in France.[39]

Having missed the 2018 FIFA World Cup due to injury,[40] Pereira was earlier picked for the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup[41] and later Euro 2020[42] and the 2022 World Cup.[43] In the latter tournament, he fractured a rib in the first group fixture against Ghana, taking part in no further games.[44]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 17 March 2024[45][46]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] League cup[b] Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Parma 2010–11 Serie A 0 0 0 0 — — — 0 0
2011–12 Serie A 5 0 0 0 — — — 5 0
Total 5 0 0 0 — — — 5 0
Aris (loan) 2010–11 Super League Greece 5 2 — — — — 5 2
Roda (loan) 2012–13 Eredivisie 31 1 1 0 — — 4[c] 0 36 1
Marítimo 2013–14 Primeira Liga 28 1 2 0 2 0 — — 32 1
2014–15 Primeira Liga 29 3 4 0 5 0 — — 38 3
Total 57 4 6 0 7 0 — — 70 4
Porto 2015–16 Primeira Liga 33 6 5 0 0 0 7[d] 0 — 45 6
2016–17 Primeira Liga 28 4 2 0 1 0 10[e] 0 — 41 4
2017–18 Primeira Liga 19 1 3 2 2 0 6[e] 1 — 30 4
2018–19 Primeira Liga 26 2 4 1 3 0 10[e] 0 0 0 43 3
2019–20 Primeira Liga 26 2 3 0 2 0 9[f] 0 — 40 2
2020–21 Primeira Liga 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 3 0
Total 135 15 17 3 8 0 42 1 0 0 202 19
Paris Saint-Germain (loan) 2020–21 Ligue 1 23 2 6 0 — 12[e] 0 1[g] 0 42 2
Paris Saint-Germain 2021–22 Ligue 1 27 5 2 0 — 7[e] 0 1[g] 0 37 5
2022–23 Ligue 1 33 2 3 0 — 7[e] 0 1[g] 0 44 2
2023–24 Ligue 1 20 0 4 1 — 3[e] 0 0 0 27 1
Total 103 9 15 1 — 29 0 3 0 150 10
Career total 336 31 39 4 15 0 71 1 7 0 468 36
  1. ^ Includes KNVB Cup, Taça de Portugal, Coupe de France
  2. ^ Includes Taça da Liga
  3. ^ Appearance(s) in Eredivisie relegation play-offs
  4. ^ Six appearances in UEFA Champions League, one appearance in UEFA Europa League
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Appearance(s) in UEFA Champions League
  6. ^ Two appearances in UEFA Champions League, seven appearances in UEFA Europa League
  7. ^ a b c Appearance in Trophée des Champions

International

As of match played 16 October 2023[47]
National team Year Apps Goals
Portugal 2015 7 0
2016 10 1
2017 10 0
2018 4 0
2019 6 1
2020 7 0
2021 11 0
2022 9 0
2023 6 0
Total 70 2
As of match played 25 March 2019. Score and results list Portugal's score first, score column indicates score after each Pereira goal.[47]
List of international goals scored by Danilo Pereira
No. Date Venue Cap Opponent Score Result Competition
1 8 June 2016 Estádio da Luz, Lisbon, Portugal 12  Estonia 4–0 7–0 Friendly
2 25 March 2019 32  Serbia 1–1 1–1 UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying

Honours

Porto

Paris Saint-Germain

Portugal U20

Portugal

Individual

Orders

References

  1. ^ a b c "FIFA Confederations Cup Russia 2017: List of players: Portugal" (PDF). FIFA. 20 March 2018. p. 7. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 July 2017. Retrieved 29 March 2018.
  2. ^ Vaza, Marco (22 August 2010). "Danilo Pereira, um miúdo tímido em Itália" [Danilo Pereira, a shy kid in Italy]. Público (in Portuguese). Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  3. ^ "Danilo Pereira no Parma" [Danilo Pereira to Parma]. Record (in Portuguese). 18 August 2010. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  4. ^ Emanuele, Salvo (21 December 2011). "Calcio, Parma-Catania 3–3" [Football, Parma-Catania 3–3] (in Italian). Sicilia Today. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
  5. ^ "Roda JC Kerkrade huurt Danilo van Parma" [Roda JC Kerkrade get Danilo from Parma] (in Dutch). Roda JC. 29 June 2012. Archived from the original on 16 August 2013. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
  6. ^ "Marítimo: Danilo Pereira (ex-Benfica) assina por três anos" [Marítimo: Danilo Pereira (ex-Benfica) signs for three years] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. 1 August 2013. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  7. ^ "Marítimo 2–1 Benfica, jornada 1 da I Liga" [Marítimo 2–1 Benfica, I League round 1] (in Portuguese). Rádio e Televisão de Portugal. 18 August 2013. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  8. ^ "Marítimo-Sp. Braga, 2–2: Desta vez aguentaram a rajada madeirense" [Marítimo-Sp. Braga, 2–2: They withstood the Madeiran whirlwind this time]. Record (in Portuguese). 20 December 2013. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  9. ^ "Golo de Danilo Dias dá vitória que nada serve ao Marítimo" [Danilo Dias goal gives win that does nothing for Marítimo] (in Portuguese). TSF. 11 May 2013. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  10. ^ "Final Taça Liga: Benfica-Marítimo, 2–1 (resultado final)" [League Cup Final: Benfica-Marítimo, 2–1 (final score)] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. 29 May 2015. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  11. ^ "Jonas eleito o Man of the Match" [Jonas elected Man of the Match] (in Portuguese). Liga Portuguesa de Futebol Profissional. 29 May 2015. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  12. ^ "FC Porto anuncia Danilo Pereira" [FC Porto announce Danilo Pereira]. Público (in Portuguese). 2 July 2015. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
  13. ^ "Danilo Pereira signs for four seasons". FC Porto. 3 July 2015. Retrieved 6 August 2015.
  14. ^ Quintas, Joana (31 December 2017). "Danilo Pereira, o dragão do ano" [Danilo Pereira, dragon of the year] (in Portuguese). Bola Na Rede. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  15. ^ a b "Danilo é o Futebolista do Ano no FC Porto" [Danilo is FC Porto's Footballer of the Year] (in Portuguese). Rádio Renascença. 24 October 2016. Retrieved 23 July 2018.
  16. ^ a b "Jonas e Rui Costa eleitos "Jogador do Mês" de Dezembro" [Jonas and Rui Costa elected "Player of the Month" of December] (in Portuguese). Liga Portuguesa de Futebol Profissional. 11 January 2018. Retrieved 23 July 2018.
  17. ^ "Danilo vai parar um mês com uma rotura muscular nos gémeos" [Danilo will stop one month with calf muscle tear] (in Portuguese). SAPO. 25 January 2018. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  18. ^ Teles, Gonçalo (25 May 2019). "Do legado de Dost à frieza de Luiz Phellype. Sporting vence a Taça de Portugal" [From Dost's legacy to Luiz Phellype's coolness. Sporting win Portuguese Cup] (in Portuguese). TSF. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  19. ^ "Bas Dost: "Fiquei chateado por falhar o penálti"" [Bas Dost: "I was upset for missing the penalty"]. Record (in Portuguese). 26 May 2019. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  20. ^ "Danilo afastado do estágio após desentendimento com Sérgio Conceição, escreve jornal" [Danilo ousted from training camp after run-in with Sérgio Conceição, newspaper writes] (in Portuguese). SAPO. 24 July 2019. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
  21. ^ a b "Juventus held by Sassuolo in thriller, Porto win Primeira Liga title". The Guardian. 16 July 2020. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
  22. ^ Thompson, Peter (5 October 2020). "PSG land Porto captain Danilo Pereira on loan". My Khel. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
  23. ^ Pereira, Sérgio (4 October 2020). "Danilo no PSG com obrigação de compra por 20 milhões de euros" [Danilo to PSG with obligation to buy for 20 million euros] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  24. ^ Rostance, Tom (20 October 2020). "Paris Saint Germain 1–2 Manchester United". BBC Sport. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  25. ^ "PSG-Dijon (4–0): revivez la large victoire des Parisiens" [PSG-Dijon (4–0): highlights from Parisians' big win]. Le Parisien (in French). 24 October 2020. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
  26. ^ "Watch: Danilo scores first Ligue 1 goal for PSG against Dijon". Yardbarker. 27 February 2021. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
  27. ^ Olivès-Berthet, Cyril (23 May 2021). "Lille gagne à Angers et remporte le titre de champion de France devant le PSG" [Lille win in Angers and take French champions title ahead of PSG]. L'Équipe (in French). Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  28. ^ Sévérac, Dominique (24 May 2021). "Danilo Pereira acheté par le PSG pour 16 millions d'euros" [Danilo Pereira bought by PSG for 16 million euros]. Le Parisien (in French). Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  29. ^ "Messi, Mbappe on target as PSG thrash sorry Lille". France 24. 6 February 2022. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  30. ^ "PSG crowned Ligue 1 champions for record-equalling 10th time after Lens draw". Sky Sports. 23 April 2022. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
  31. ^ "Danilo Pereira: 'I'm lucky to be a part of this history'". Paris Saint-Germain F.C. 16 June 2022. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
  32. ^ Tchanhoun, Patrick (23 August 2023). "PSG: L'ordre des capitaines dévoilé après le second vote" [PSG: Captain order unveiled following second voting] (in French). Goal. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  33. ^ a b "Oscar treble wins thrilling final for Brazil". FIFA. 20 August 2011. Archived from the original on 14 June 2015. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
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  35. ^ Da Cunha, Pedro Jorge (14 January 2021). "Caetano desistiu aos 29 anos. E os outros heróis do Mundial2011 sub20?" [Caetano called it quits at the age of 29. What about the other under20 World Cup2011 heroes?] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
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  39. ^ "São estes os portugueses campeões da Europa!" [These are the Portuguese European champions!] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. 11 July 2016. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
  40. ^ "Danilo lesiona-se e falha Mundial" [Injured Danilo misses World Cup]. Sol (in Portuguese). 4 April 2018. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
  41. ^ "Seleção: a lista final de 23 para a Taça das Confederações" [National team: the final 23-men squad for the Confederations Cup] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. 7 June 2017. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
  42. ^ "Euro2020: Cinco estreantes absolutos lusos e outros cinco em Europeus e Mundiais" [Euro2020: Five Portuguese first-timers and five others in Euros and World Cups]. Jornal de Negócios (in Portuguese). 5 June 2021. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
  43. ^ "Os 26 convocados de Portugal: Gonçalo Ramos, António Silva, Otávio e Matheus Nunes chamados" [Portugal select 26: Gonçalo Ramos, António Silva, Otávio and Matheus Nunes called] (in Portuguese). SAPO. 10 November 2022. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
  44. ^ "Danilo Pereira forfait pour la suite de la coupe du monde" [Danilo Pereira sidelined for rest of World Cup] (in French). Live Football. 8 December 2022. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
  45. ^ Danilo Pereira at ForaDeJogo (archived) Edit this at Wikidata
  46. ^ "Danilo Pereira". Soccerway. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
  47. ^ a b "Danilo Pereira". EU-Football.info. Retrieved 8 June 2016.
  48. ^ "FC Porto é campeão nacional 2017/2018" [FC Porto are 2017/2018 national champions] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. 5 May 2018. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
  49. ^ Bosher, Luke; Whitehead, Jacob (23 April 2022). "PSG crowned Ligue 1 champions after draw against Lens". The Athletic. Retrieved 23 April 2022.
  50. ^ "PSG novamente campeão em França com empate em Estrasburgo" [PSG champions in France again with draw in Strasbourg]. Diário de Notícias (in Portuguese). 27 May 2023. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
  51. ^ Tessier, Côme (19 May 2021). "Monaco-PSG en direct: Paris garde sa coupe après une finale presque insipide" [Monaco-PSG live: Paris retain their cup after nearly unsavoury final] (in French). RMC. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
  52. ^ "Neymar and Icardi fire Pochettino to first title". Ligue 1. 13 January 2021. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
  53. ^ "A final, lots of goals and a trophy: a great start to the season!". Paris Saint-Germain F.C. 31 July 2022. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
  54. ^ Mahé, Marie (3 January 2024). "Le PSG débute 2024 par un trophée en battant Toulouse (2–0), Kylian Mbappé nouveau meilleur buteur de l'histoire du Parc" [PSG begin 2024 with a trophy by beating Toulouse (2–0), Kylian Mbappé new top scorer in the Parc's history] (in French). Eurosport. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  55. ^ McNulty, Phil (10 July 2016). "Portugal 1–0 France". BBC Sport. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
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  57. ^ ""Portugal fez uma prova excelente", diz Fernando Santos" ["Portugal had an excellent tournament", Fernando Santos says] (in Portuguese). TSF. 2 July 2017. Retrieved 4 July 2017.
  58. ^ "Danilo Pereira e Domingos Duarte distinguidos" [Danilo Pereira e Domingos Duarte honoured] (in Portuguese). SJPF. 10 November 2015. Retrieved 23 July 2018.
  59. ^ "SJPF revela os melhores 11 de 2016" [SPFP discloses best 11 of 2016] (in Portuguese). SJPF. 20 March 2017. Retrieved 23 July 2018.
  60. ^ "Sindicato revela os melhores 11 de 2017" [Union discloses best 11 of 2017] (in Portuguese). SJPF. 19 March 2018. Retrieved 23 July 2018.
  61. ^ "Vencedores dos Prémios mensais da Liga Portugal 2017–18" [Winners of the Liga Portugal 2017–18 monthly Awards] (in Portuguese). Liga Portuguesa de Futebol Profissional. 19 October 2017. Retrieved 23 July 2018.
  62. ^ "Presidente Cavaco Silva condecorou selecção nacional de futebol sub-20" [President Cavaco Silva decorated national under-20 football team] (in Portuguese). Arquivo Presidência. 6 September 2011. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
  63. ^ "Ordens Honoríficas Portuguesas" [Portuguese Honorary Orders] (in Portuguese). President of Portugal. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
  64. ^ "Marcelo condecora jogadores com Grau de Comendador da Ordem do Mérito" [Marcelo decorates players with Grau de Comendador da Ordem do Mérito] (in Portuguese). SAPO. 10 July 2016. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
  65. ^ "Seleção recebe insígnias de Marcelo no Porto" [National team receive insignia from Marcelo in Porto]. Diário de Notícias (in Portuguese). 25 August 2016. Retrieved 11 August 2017.

External links

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