Danilo Pereira

Profile Overview

Danilo Luís Hélio Pereira (Portuguese pronunciation: [dɐˈnilu pɨˈɾɐjɾɐ]; born 9 September 1991), sometimes known as simply Danilo, is a professional footballer who plays as a centre-back or defensive midfielder for and captains Saudi Pro League club Al-Ittihad.
He came through Benfica's youth academy, signing with Italian Serie A side Parma in 2010. He was consecutively loaned to various clubs, before transferring to 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 Paris Saint-Germain on an initial one-year loan deal, which was made permanent at the end of the season.
Born in Guinea-Bissau, Pereira represented Portugal 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.