10 things you need to know about Real Madrid's newest signing Danilo

Real Madrid have once again swooped a prized talent in the transfer market from their rivals by completing the deal for Porto's highly rated right back Danilo. €31.5 million is what Real Madrid had to play for the defender’s services, making him the fourth most expensive full-back in the history of football. He will officially be presented as a Real Madrid player once the summer transfer window resumes from the 1st June.There has been a lot of buzz around this scoop from Real Madrid who shaved off the competition from clubs like Manchester United and Barcelona by signing one of the most highly rated young prospects in world football right now. But, how much do we really know about the 23-year-old right back? In this slideshow, we bring you 10 things that you must know about Danilo:

#1 Winner everywhere!

Danilo has been a champion for all the clubs he has represented so far in his career. He won the Campeonato Brasileiro Série C title in 2009 with his boyhood club America, which is the third division of Brazilian Football League.

Following his move to Santos in 2010, Danilo cemented his position during his two-year spell at the club and eventually went on to be part of the Copa Libertadores-winning team in 2011.

The winning culture continued for Danilo at Porto where he successfully won back to back titles since his arrival in Europe. This surely looks ominous for Real Madrid as they look out to win their first La Liga crown in four years. Can Danilo be their lucky charm? We’ll have to wait and watch.

#2 15th Brazilian to play for Real Madrid

The relationship between Real Madrid and Brazilians go a long way back in history. Right from Didi in 1959 to Lucas Silva in 2015, the Los Blancos have gone for all those swashbuckling Samba boys who have dazzled the world with their flair. The latest Brazilian to join the capital club is Porto’s buccaneering right back Danilo, who happens to be 15th Brazilian to don the All-white kit.

With legends like Didi, Roberto Carlos and Ronaldo having represented Real Madrid, it definitely serves to be a proud moment for the Belo Horizonte born player to follow in the footsteps of icons such as these.

Fun Fact: Danilo is born on the 15th day of July and also happens to be 15th Brazilian to play for Real Madrid!

#3 U20 World Cup winner with Brazil

Real’s newest export is already a junior World Champion with Brazil as he was part of the famous under-20 side led by Neymar in 2011 which went on to lift the cup in almost 10 years.

Danilo was a key cog in this title winning side as he put a series of stunning displays for the Canarinho. Such a series of sublime performances at the grand stage led to his move to Europe for Porto where he shone even more brightly for the Dragaoes.

#4 Porto\'s priciest defender

Porto is known for their transfer acumen and seldom do they pay a fee for a player which is in eight digits. It raised eyebrows when they decided to pay almost 13 million euros for a relatively young right back from Brazil, who was promising but fairly unproven and raw. After four years in Portugal, it is very evident that the money was well spent as Danilo is right now one of the best right-backs in all of Europe.

Danilo is not only a top quality defender but also the most expensive defender in Porto’s history. He is also Porto’s fourth on the list of most expensive players of all time, trailing James Rodriguez, Joao Moutinho and Hulk.

#5 Fourth expensive fullback of all time.

With the announcement of his move to Real Madrid, Danilo inscribed his name into the history book as the fourth most expensive fullback of all time. He is in the elite list led Manchester United’s Luke Shaw followed by French legend Lillian Thuram and compatriot Dani Alves.

Danilo’s move to Real Madrid is worth 31.5 million euros which is 5 million shy of what it had cost Barcelona to sign Dani Alves. Some consider him to be worth a lot more than what Real paid for him while some argue that splashing money for a player playing in the same position as Dani Carvajal could end up turning out to be a not-so ideal eventually.

Reportedly, he had a 50 million euro buyout clause in his contract if any club wanted to have even a whiff of this Brazilian.

#6 Highest transfer fee received by Porto for a defender

Porto has a reputation to churn up huge profits in transfer fees whenever they sell any of their priced assets. Porto has been a breeding ground for many defenders like Pepe, Ricardo Carvalho, Paolo Ferreira and more recently Eliaquim Mangala. All of them had mega money moves to top European clubs.

But what if you learn that, Danilo is the defender who has the highest fees paid by their suitors. Yes! Danilo has snatched that crown from Eliaquim Mangala whose record stood at 30.5 million. Danilo’s 31.5 million euros move to Real Madrid is the biggest move for a defender from Porto.

The Brazilian is surely creating waves in the market with his move to Spain.

Fun Fact: Since the 2005/05 season, Porto have made a staggering amount of €714.99m from player sales, including loan moves.

#7 A big game player

Danilo is not only known for his skills and tactical astuteness but also for his huge temperament. The Porto man has a knack of stepping up in big games or the games which matter the most.

He did so with Santos when he scored a crucial goal in the finals of Copa Libertadores in 2011 as his goal earned Santos the title. He had also scored in the finals of U-20 World Cup against Uruguay in 2011. This speaks a lot about his temperament. Also, being Porto’s captain also accentuates the fact that he is team’s go-to man in crunch situations.

Some may think he is raw but with a temperament like that, he is just a few seasons away from blooming into a world class gem.

#8 A proficient midfielder

How many people know that Danilo started out as a central midfielder? Not many, for sure. The Porto man started out as a central midfielder in his younger days and was moved out on flanks as a winger before being converted into a full-fledged right back, which he is today.

Some of his memorable performances have been from central midfield. His spectacular goal against Penarol in Copa Libertadores finals in 2011 was from central midfield when he linked up with his former teammate Neymar. He was also fielded as a central midfielder for his national side and has excelled in that position for the Seleccao.

Such versatility is always welcomed, especially at a club like Madrid, where there is an intense struggle for places in the starting line-up.

#9 Brazil\'s lucky charm

Danilo has won the World Cup with the junior team but is somewhat considered to be a good luck charm for the senior team as well. In all the seven games where he has started, Brazil hasn’t lost a single game. The Green and Yellows have won all the seven games.

In all the games where he has started, Brazil has only conceded a paltry two goals. And adding to the fact, during this period Brazil faced Argentina in Beijing and France in Paris. His displays have earned him praise from his current national coach Dunga, who thinks he is slowly turning into a world class right back.

He has made a remarkable transformation from a central midfielder to a right back which isn’t going unnoticed.

#10 A friend among the enemies

Danilo since his days in Brazil has always had a partner in crime. During his Santos and U20 days, he formed a deadly partnership with Barcelona star Neymar. Both of them were pivotal for both their club and countries where they achieved insurmountable success together.

Neymar and Danilo’s pair worked wonders for Santos in Copa Libertadores finals where they combined to score the crucial winner which was a result of the brilliance shown by the young duo. Sadly they couldn’t connect later on the field as both of them went their separate ways in their club careers and Luis Felipe Scolari’s preference to Dani Alves and Maicon never let them rekindle for the Seleccao as well.

But Dunga has managed to reunite them and they are wreaking havoc with the Samba boys. Also, Danilo’s move to Real Madrid means that the friends will turn into bitter foes for at least two times a season where they face each other in El Clasico.