Ex Manchester City defender says he was an ‘idiot’ before Pep Guardiola educated him | OneFootball

Ex Manchester City full-back Danilo has looked back on how working with Pep Guardiola inspired him and took his football knowledge to a new level.

Danilo joined hands with Guardiola from Real Madrid, signing for Manchester City in the summer of 2017 for a reported £26.5 million on a five-year contract. The Brazilian made 34 Premier Leaguer appearances during this two-year stay in England.

Not long after his arrival, the 33-year-old got off to a flying start on City’s pre-season tour of the United States in 2017, starring in a 4-1 win against his former club Real Madrid as the Blues made a statement to a club that would in the years to come emerge as one of their fiercest European rivals.

Guardiola appreciates versatility in his full-backs and Danilo’s ability to operate at left-back and right-back drew praise from the Manchester City fanbase through the entirety of his team in England, which ended in 2019 when City signed Joao Cancelo from Juventus and Danilo went the other way.

However, despite his time at Manchester City being limited and perhaps shorter-lived than he’d have originally thought, Danilo’s two seasons in sky blue saw the Brazilian be part of record-breaking sides that walked the Premier League and reach the pinnacle of English football whilst breaking records left, right and centre.

“Pep Guardiola educates his players. That’s the most important thing about his work. He makes all players think about football in the same way. Time, space, movement, possession, taking care of the ball,” said Danilo in an interview, as quoted by Yahoo Sports.

“He (Guardiola) makes you understand the spaces on the pitch like no other coach and he lives the game emotionally like no other coach. I was brainwashed by Guardiola, but in a good way. It was like I was at university.”

Danilo is currently playing for Clube de Regatas do Flamengo in Brazil and fondly looks back on his education under Guardiola. “What I experienced with him (Guardiola) allowed me to raise my level and keep that level to this day,” the defender added.

“It’s not that I was an idiot before I arrived at Manchester City but I realised that I played football in completely the wrong way. If I had met him before, he would have made my life a lot easier. I’m so glad I was able to play under him and was able to learn from him.”

Danilo got one over his former club when Juventus secured a 2-0 win over Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League group-stage this season. He moved back to Brazil and joined Flamengo in the January transfer window.