39: Dante, Brasil, Panini 2014 FIFA World Cup Brasil Official Licensed Sticker Album

This week Emlyn Jones takes a look at a footballer who could well have been the perfect tie-in for World Cup final weekend if the work sweepstake had fallen more in my favour and Croatia hadn’t made Neymar cry by being really good at the penalties. I’m happy to take that first loss for the latter win and at least no one was forced to hold up some sort of memorial shirt for the forward’s vertebrae ahead of a semi-final shellacking this time. On that note, over to Emlyn.

Several years ago (late 2008 if Google is to be trusted), fellow blogger Manny and I went out drinking in my hometown of Wokingham during a break in the university term. At some point we stumbled across a bar that was showing a UEFA Cup tie between Standard Liège and Everton. Despite the game having minimal relevance to either of us, we were both struck by a marauding fullback with a large afro hairstyle, gaining an immediate affection for him. Given the career the player went on to have, I'm going to applaud us for our scouting acumen in identifying the hirsute talents of future Brazil captain, Dante Bonfim Costa Santos.

Dante was born in Salvador, Brazil, playing youth football for various sides. He established himself in the heart of defence for Juventude, but had only signed after having to sell his games console to make the trial match, as his family couldn't afford the bus fare otherwise. Although he occasionally featured as a left back through his career, at 6’ 3” inches he featured mostly in central defence. Scouts from Europe became aware of the imposing defender, and Lille brought the player to France in 2004. Unfortunately, he struggled to break into the first team, and following twelve games in two seasons, Dante moved across the border to Belgium. He was much more successful in the land of Tintin and waffles, racking up 24 games and notching two goals in six months for Charleroi before Standard swooped for the player. He missed only one game in his debut season, and Standard won the title to give the defender his first taste of silverware. He started his second season well, however, a higher standard came calling when an opportunity to play in the Bundesliga with Borussia Mönchengladbach arose, and Dante moved in December 2008. He featured in the final months of the season, scoring three crucial goals as Borussia evaded relegation by a single point.

Dante would play a further three seasons with Borussia, however, they regularly struggled against relegation, and despite a much better season in 2011/12, Dante opted to move to Bayern Munich, who were seeking to end a two year period without the title by boosting their squad. This would be successful, with Dante playing a key role in the centre of defence as Bayern stormed to the title, winning by 25 points and losing only once all season. The season must rank as Dante's peak, as he managed to win every trophy he entered, with Bayern winning the Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal, DFL-Supercup, and the Champions League, while he also featured for Brazil as they won the 2013 Confederations Cup. While he didn't feature in the final, he was able to score the first goal in Brazil's win over Italy, one of two goals he would score in thirteen games for his nation. The following season for Bayern was no slouch either, with another Bundesliga title supplemented by a DFB-Pokal, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup in Pep Guardiola's first season. However, the side lost out in the DFL-Supercup and also dropped out of the Champions League at the semi-final stage, and Brazil also suffered humiliation at their home World Cup. In Dante's only performance at the tournament, they suffered loss in the semi-finals by Germany by a 7-1 scoreline.

Despite the relative disappointment, Dante was now a key part of the dominant force that was Bayern Munich. A far cry from his days unable to break into the Lille side, the late bloomer was once again near ever-present as Bayern again stormed to the tile in 2015, however, after two games of the 2015/16 season Dante was on the move to Wolfsburg. Reports at the time suggested that Guardiola felt the player was struggling with his high defensive line tactics, and at 32 felt the time was right for the player to move. Wolfsburg won the DFL-Supercup in Dante's sole season with the club, but following an eighth place finish, Dante returned to the French league with Nice.

His time was much more successful than his earlier stint with Lille, and he featured regularly while helping to contribute his experience to a youthful side that finished third in his first season. He was ever-present as captain in his second season as Nice finished the season having conceded only 35 goals, and he continued to provide crucial experience at the heart of defence as then-coach Patrick Vieira built his squad. Now 39, Dante continues to play in Ligue 1, captaining Nice and almost ever-present despite a cruciate ligament injury in 2020 at age 37 that few expected him to return from. He retains the large afro haircut and attendant affection of the fans, being nicknamed 'El CommanDante', and has spoken of targeting another European title with a Conference League win this season. Hopefully he'll continue to impress giggling students in small town pubs some fifteen years after Manny and I first became aware of him. He's probably just about managed to replace that games console too.