Danilo dos Santos de Oliveira (born 29 April 2001), known simply as Danilo, Danilo Oliveira or Danilo Santos, (Brazilian Portuguese pronunciation: [dɐˈnilu ˈsɐ̃tus]) is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Campeonato Brasileiro Série A club Botafogo and the Brazil national team.
Born in Salvador, Danilo was in the youth academy of Bahia, before stints at Jacuipense and PFC Cajazeiras, where he was spotted by Palmeiras in 2018. After progressing steadily in Palmeiras' youth ranks, he made his first team Série A debut in 2020 at the age of 19. He was part of the Palmeiras teams who won the Copa Libertadores consecutively in 2020 and 2021, solidifying himself as a stalwart in the middle of the park and becoming a consistent first-team starter.
Born in Salvador, Bahia, Danilo represented Bahia as a youth before being released by the club. In 2017, at the age of 16, he joined PFC Cajazeiras through a social project, after a short stint at Jacuipense. He made his senior debut for Cajazeiras on 5 May 2018, aged 17, by coming on as a second-half substitute in a 4–0 Campeonato Baiano Segunda Divisão home routing of Conquista.
In 2018, Danilo joined Palmeiras, initially for the under-17s. He progressed through the youth setup, being later a starter for the under-20s before making his first team – and Série A – debut on 6 September 2020, replacing fellow youth graduate Patrick de Paula in a 2–1 away win against Red Bull Bragantino.
On 10 September 2020, Danilo was bought outright by Verdão, signing a permanent five-year contract with the club. He scored his first professional goal on 2 December, netting his team's fifth in a 5–0 Copa Libertadores home routing of Delfín SC.
In January 2023, Danilo joined Premier League side Nottingham Forest for an estimated £16 million fee, signing a six-and a-half-year deal with the English club in the process.
On the opening day of the 2024–25 season against Bournemouth, he suffered a broken leg in the 8th minute, which saw him miss most of the Premiership campaign.
On 18 July 2025, Danilo moved to Campeonato Brasileiro Série A side Botafogo on a four-year deal for a reported fee of $25,000,000.
In June 2022, Danilo was called up to the Brazil national team by head coach Tite for friendlies against South Korea and Japan. However, he did not feature in either of the matches and was left out of the final squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Danilo was recalled to the national side, now by coach Carlo Ancelotti, in March 2026, for a set of friendly matches against France and Croatia later that month. On 18 May 2026, Danilo was selected for Brazil's squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
As of match played 23 July 2026
As of match played 5 July 2026
Scores and results list Brazil's goal tally first.
FIFA Club World Cup runner-up: 2021
FIFA Club World Cup Bronze Ball: 2021
Campeonato Paulista Team of the Year: 2022
Profile at the Nottingham Forest F.C. website