There can be few 23-year-olds who drive through the streets of Nottingham with their windows rolled down blasting out Spandau Ballet over the car stereo.
Gold was released in 1983, almost two decades before Danilo dos Santos de Oliveira — ‘Danilo’ — was born in Salvador in the north east of Brazil.
But now, thanks to the creativity of Nottingham Forest’s fans and the bond they have forged with the dynamic midfielder, it is a tune to which he sings along. He has a broad smile on his face as he breaks into a short chorus of “Danilo-o”, the chant the supporters have been chorusing since he arrived in a £17million ($21.7m) move from Palmeiras in January 2023.
“When they first started singing it, I did not understand — I did not know the song… but now I always play it in my car and sing along,” Danilo tells The Athletic. “I really like it. It makes me feel at home here. Ever since I started putting in good performances last season, fans started singing that song.
“Now when I hear it on the pitch, it motivates me even more. It encourages me to run more, to pass, to score… to do anything I can to help the team. I want to bring joy to these fans, like they do to me.”
Danilo missed most of September and all of October through injury, but it says much about his progress this season that he started eight of the nine Premier League wins Forest claimed to secure a third successive season of Premier League football. The midfielder’s adaptation has been helped by the presence of compatriots in the squad, even if some of his fellow Brazilians have moved on over his 16 months at the club.
“We Brazilians really understand each other very well,” he says. “When I first came we also had Renan Lodi and Gustavo Scarpa, as well as Felipe. We have really good, strong friendships. Murillo only arrived this season, but we are very close. We have a strong relationship.
“I am so happy to have these friends in Nottingham.”
The Brazilian contingent of Felipe, Danilo, Renan Lodi and Gustavo Scarpa (right) after Forest’s survival in May 2023 (Jon Hobley/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Lodi and Scarpa have moved on, while Felipe has retired in the past few days. But the impact made by Murillo, who joined Forest from Corinthians last summer, can be summed up by the fact that the clubs who have monitored his progress this season include Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea.
The 21-year-old defender, with his barnstorming runs out from the back, his habit of shooting from inside his own half, his huge passing range and, of course, the timing and reading of the game that help him to defend brilliantly, has quickly established him as another fan favourite — and as one of the club’s biggest assets.
Murillo was so proud to have won the official player of the year trophy that he took it back to Sao Paulo with him when he flew home after the final game.
“Murillo? He is a different level of player,” says Danilo “I am biased because I am with him every day but this is only his first season. He will do brilliantly in European football in the future.”
Not too long ago, there was a Brazilian steak restaurant next to the statue of Brian Clough in Nottingham’s Market Square. Now the options are limited if any of Forest’s Brazilian contingent want to seek out a taste of home.
“Food-wise, there is one fast food place that does some Brazilian food… there are not too many options,” he says. “But I will be honest — my treat is to go to Pizza Hut. And when I want to get over any home sickness from Brazil, I go to the bowling alley. That is where I go when I want to relax. That was something we liked to do at home; there are always bowling alleys at every shopping centre. So it reminds me of home.
“Am I good at bowling? So-so… it is more about being with friends or family. It is about the social side of things. Being together.”
Danilo epitomises much of what has been good at Forest during a difficult season.
He is one of a clutch of young players who have their best years ahead of them. Morgan Gibbs-White (24), Callum Hudson-Odoi (23) and Anthony Elanga (22) form a tantalisingly exciting attacking trio ahead of Danilo marshalling the midfield. Gibbs-White notched up 10 assists, the joint-third-highest in the Premier League this season. Elanga had nine. The trio contributed 18 goals between them.
“It is really rewarding playing with them. The partnership we have, the understanding — it has helped us a lot,” says Danilo. “They are exciting players.
Hudson-Odoi, Elanga, Gibbs-White and Danilo have injected youthful energy at Forest (Michael Regan/Getty Images)
“It was similar at Palmeiras. We had veteran players there, but also a lot of young players as well. I really like being part of a younger squad. Last season here we had more experienced players. Now it feels younger. It makes for a really joyful atmosphere in training. We are all really happy, we all get along and that gets the best out of us.
“The atmosphere we have in the squad makes us work harder; it makes us want to do well for each other.”
Even speaking through a translator, Danilo’s upbeat personality is obvious. He talks through a constant grin. The sense is he is grateful to be enjoying this life, which is understandable given that, at 16 and 19, he was ready to give up the game.
Danilo came through the ranks as a teenager at Bahia, the biggest club in the region where he grew up. Money was tight and his father had to take out loans to cover the cost of his coaching. When he was released by Bahia at 16, he wanted to give up with the financial costs involved mounting up.
But he was persuaded to continue and, following a brief spell at another local club, Jacuipense, was signed by PFC Cajazeiras. It was at the second-tier side that he made his professional debut, at 17. Then Brazilian giants Palmeiras came calling in 2018.
It meant a move of around 1,000 miles, a long way from his family. And, as he battled to earn a first team opportunity, playing firstly for the under-17 side then the under-20s, he considered packing it all in again. “I did think about giving up when I was in the under-20 team at Palmieras, but I was persuaded not to by my family and by my coach,” he says.
It was a wise decision. Danilo was just 21 when he signed for Forest, but he had already won two Copa Libertadores and the 2022 Brazilian Serie A title with Palmeiras as a key figure in the senior side.
“What I learned from all the managers was the value of remaining grounded — particularly from Abel Ferreira (who is still head coach of Palmeiras),” says Danilo. “He gave me my opportunity. He told us to have cold heads but always warm hearts. He told us to block out the noise and just focus on playing.”
Danilo in action for Palmeiras against Atletico Mineiro in August 2022 (Ricardo Moreira/Getty Images)
That is easier said than done at Allianz Parque, where 40,000 partisan Palmeiras fans regularly roar on their favourites. “There was always huge noise, whether we were home or away. But he taught us to focus on our game plan. I matured a lot there.
“It was always my ambition to play in the Premier League or in European football. This is the best league in the world. It has always been my dream and it has always been my family’s dream for me.”
The season has held some unexpected challenges for Forest. VAR controversies have combined with the four-point deduction for breaching profitability and sustainability regulations (PSR) to make survival more difficult. Nuno Espirito Santos’ arrival in December helped steer them away from trouble and the squad eventually finished six points clear of the bottom three.
Nuno has made a favourable impression on Danilo. “He is a great guy,” he says. “He knows what he wants us to do on the pitch; he has a very specific style. He wants us to have more of the ball, he wants us to play forward and be attack-minded. Working with him, he introduced his style into the way we play. We are almost there when it comes to how he wants us to play.
“Given everything that has happened, we have done well. In the dressing room, we have always been focused and happy. There has never been anyone with a sad face.
“The coach can only pick 11 players, but we have a strong friendship on and off the pitch (even among those who do not play). That has been at the heart of our good performances.”
Danilo with his team-mate and compatriot Murillo (Nathan Stirk/Getty Images)
Danilo is excited about what the future might hold – and believes Forest should have lofty ambitions.
In recent years, Brighton & Hove Albion and Aston Villa have endured scrapes with relegation only to rally and improve in subsequent seasons as they found their feet among the elite. Both have qualified for European football, with Villa set to play in the Champions League next term, five years after playing in the Championship.
“I have another five years on my contract and I can help the club to develop more,” adds Danilo. “It is already a big club; one with a proud history. Next season will be better. We will not be fighting to remain in the Premier League. We will be higher up the table. We can continue to grow.
“Villa and Brighton represent good examples for us. We should make that our ambition – to be challenging to play in Europe.”
Right now, that might seem far fetched. But for a young man who refused to let his own dreams die, nothing seems impossible.
(Top photo: Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)