PROFILE | Danilo Pereira – one of Ligue 1’s most under-rated assets | OneFootball

Now playing his third season at the club, Danilo Pereira (32) has become one of Paris Saint-Germain’s most consistent top performers, along with being one of the most underrated players in Ligue 1.

Having begun his career with Portuguese club GD Estoril Praia, the now 32-year-old took a long time before finding stability, moving to Parma Calcio 1913 in Italy, Aris Thessaloniki in Greece and Roda JC in the Netherlands, before returning to Portugal and CS Marítimo, where he finally found consistent first team football. From there, he signed for FC Porto, where he stayed for five seasons, becoming one of the best holding midfielders in the league, and pushing PSG to sign him up for €16 million in the summer of 2021.

While he originally signed as a holding midfielder, injuries sustained by some of the other centrebacks pushed the at the time manager Mauricio Pochettino to reposition the Portuguese in defence, which proved to be a success. Indeed, Pereira’s lack of pace and agility, which had sometimes been exposed in the midfield, proved to be less of a problem at the back, while the passing and ball-carrying ability he had developed as a holding midfielder proved extremely useful when trying to build up from the back. Additionally, the 32-year-old’s natural power and strength in duels were immediately transferrable to 1v1 defending, making him arguably the most complete centre-back in the squad.

Danilo’s appearances limited by formation change

Now a staple at the back, and with the long-lasting injury problems of Presnel Kimpembe (28), Pereira is a regular in Luis Enrique’s 3-4-3 setup, occupying the central area of the defence between Marquinhos (29) and Milan Skriniar (28), and pushing forward when in possession to serve as an additional member of the midfield, allowing others to progress higher up the pitch. However, the ex-Porto player is extremely dependent on this tactical setup, as whenever the Spanish coach switches to a four-defender formation, he is often the first to be sent to the bench, his profile being less suited to those systems. For that reason, although he is one of the team’s best performers, Pereira has only started 12 Ligue 1 games this season.

If Enrique were to opt for the three-back formation for the second half of the season, Danilo’s level of performance would undoubtedly play a part in PSG’s ability to reach their objectives.

GFFN | Alfred Lalande