Danilo bids Juventus farewell, aims several digs at the management: “I can no longer be part of this project” | OneFootball

Danilo saluted Juventus fans as his contract termination was made official on Monday. The former club captain bid the Bianconeri farewell with an open letter that included a few subtle digs at the management.

The 33-year-old was a stalwart at the club in recent years and inherited the captain’s armband in the summer of 2023 having already cemented himself as the de facto locker-room leader.

However, the versatile defender’s situation drastically changed with the arrival of Thiago Motta who opted to deploy younger profiles from the get-go, leaving the veteran starving for playing time, especially in the first few months of the season.

Therefore, the two parties have been working on rescinding their contract for weeks, and the official confirmation has finally arrived on Monday.

“Danilo Luiz da Silva and Juventus have parted ways after five and a half years together, following a mutual termination of the player’s contract,” reads a note published on the club’s official website.

For his part, the former Real Madrid and Man City star penned an open letter to the Bianconeri supporters, explaining how this farewell isn’t easy for him.

“Dear Bianconeri, I don’t know where to start, I knew it would come but you’re never ready to say goodbye. Five and a half years have passed but for me it’s like a lifetime,” wrote Danilo via JuventusNews24.

“It’s never easy to part with a love, a place that has given me so much, a shirt with great emotions, a club where I rediscovered the values ​​that have accompanied me throughout my career and learned from my parents.”

Nevertheless, the defender mentions that his stay at the club was no longer tolerable, so he decided to walk away out of respect for the values he picked up during his time at the club.

“I learned from the great men in the locker room, and I too have become a teacher and defender of these values. Tooth and nail, as if they were part of me, like the teachings to my children who have also made Turin their home and have become great fans of these colours.

“Perhaps it’s out of respect for these values ​​that I can no longer be part of this project. It makes me proud that I have never changed my way of being, my way of defending the most important club in my career.”

“I feel that every person in the Juventus world is part of my family, every employee, teammate, person who wears the shirt with pride. Without thinking about numbers, with honesty, facing every Juventus challenge as a personal challenge, a life choice.

“I apologize to our fans for the moments in which I may have disappointed, never for lack of commitment, dedication, or hard work.  And I thank you for the welcome, the respect, and the bond built along the way.

“I have always felt like your representative on the pitch. When I listened to the anthem you sing at the stadium I was moved, I was fired up, and these things you cannot buy with every imaginative project.”

Danilo’s final dig towards the current Juventus hierarchy saw him recall the famous quote that former Juventus president Andrea Agnelli said during the stadium’s inauguration in 2011 and repeated in his exit speech in 2022.

“To conclude, it is right to quote a phrase that a certain gentleman named Andrea Agnelli once said: ‘Our awareness will be our challenge. To live up to the history of Juventus. We will recognize each other everywhere with a glance. We are the people of Juventus.’ Thank you for everything. A hug from the captain, goodbye.”

Danilo is widely expected to return to his native Brazil and sign for Flamengo.