Corinthians legend hails academy lad in Brazil squad, eyes return | OneFootball

Danilo Andrade, a Corinthians idol and currently a coach, said he dreams of returning to Alvinegro to lead the first team in an exclusive interview with Gazeta Esportiva. The former No. 20 retired in 2019 while playing for Vila Nova and, two years later, took his first steps in coaching by leading Timão’s Under-23 team. After that, he coached the Under-20 side for two years, where he won the 2024 Copa São Paulo de Futebol Jr, beating Cruzeiro in the final in Itaquera.

“I was there in the youth setup for three and a half years. Of course (I dream of going back). Not only there, but at all the big clubs I played for, I have a lot of affection for them, where I won titles, right? To one day be able to return to a club where you played and are an idol, as the team’s coach, is a huge source of satisfaction. But the way I see it, we have to take it day by day, and I focus on today. I’ll keep doing my work. And if someday a great opportunity comes, it will be a great pleasure,” he began.

Photo: Rodrigo Gazzanel/Agência Corinthians

Even with a short coaching career, Danilo has already built up notable work. At the start of this season, he was a semifinalist in the Campeonato Mineiro with Pouso Alegre. In the first stage of the state championship, he even beat Cruzeiro, then coached by Tite, whom he worked with at Corinthians when he was a player, by a score of 2-0 at Mineirão. Midway through this year, he took over Uberlândia, from Minas Gerais, and won Série D with the team, earning promotion to Série C of the Brasileirão.

In two years with Corinthians’ Under-20s, he recorded 69 wins, 20 draws, and 25 losses. Besides the Copinha title in 2024, he was runner-up in the Brasileirão and the Campeonato Paulista in 2022. In 2023, he was eliminated in the semifinals of the Brazilian championship in the category by Palmeiras. Later, Danilo spoke about the possibility of working for Timão’s rivals.

“Also (if I would coach São Paulo). I won everything at São Paulo, I spent three years there (2004 to 2006). I have a lot of affection for the club, a lot of respect. I think every club I’ve been at, I have respect and affection for, and if someday an opportunity comes, it will be a great pleasure,” he continued.

The former midfielder even managed Corinthians on an interim basis for one match in April 2023. On that occasion, he led Alvinegro in a 2-1 loss to Palmeiras at Nubank Parque in the first half of the Brasileirão season. He took over the technical area right after Fernando Lázaro’s dismissal, which happened a few days before the Derby. After that, Cuca was hired, lasted two matches, and Vanderlei Luxemburgo took over the job.

Danilo Andrade also did not hold back in praising midfielder Breno Bidon, who is currently one of the pillars of Corinthians’ senior squad and whom he worked with for three years in Timão’s youth ranks. Recently, the No. 7 was called up to the Brazilian National Team for two friendlies against Australia and one against India.

“We’re very happy about that. Bidon was 16 and I took him to the Copinha in 2023. I took Bidon, Wesley, Moscardo, and André. They were 16 years old and I took them to the 2023 Copinha. Then they stayed with me after the Copinha, and we were always pushing them, explaining what they had to do on the field. And I remember calling Bidon and Biro in for a talk, just the three of us, and I explained to them that their characteristics were very similar to mine when I started out at Goiás.”

“They had a lot of quality, but they needed to compete more, fight more. And they had to change their approach. And when I got to São Paulo, I changed my style to compete more, defend more. Because that’s where I developed as a player, and they needed that. With the ball at their feet, they had quality, but without the ball, they didn’t mark, didn’t win the ball back, didn’t make tackles, didn’t impose themselves to win possession. And I demanded that from them. They are two very intelligent players. Biro improved a lot, and Bidon is showing that today he is a great player. I’m very happy that he’s with our National Team,” he added.

Finally, Danilo spoke about the versatility of the player developed in Corinthians’ youth academy, saying that the No. 7 can play in several positions in midfield: “He’s a player with a lot of quality. Breno plays in midfield. His position is as a second defensive midfielder, but he can play wide, he can play inside. He still has a lot of room to grow, right?He’s only just started playing now, so he still has a lot to improve. There’s a lot of room for development. He’s a great player, very eager to learn, and he takes good care of himself. I’m sure he’ll help us a lot going forward,” he concluded.

Danilo’s numbers as a Corinthians player

Danilo played for Corinthians between 2010 and 2018. During that period, he scored 35 goals and provided 36 assists in 359 matches (211 as a starter), with 193 wins, 90 draws, and 76 losses — a 62.1% points rate. In addition, he won eight titles: Campeonato Paulista (2013, 2017, and 2018), Brasileirão (2011, 2015, and 2017), Libertadores (2012), Club World Cup (2012), and Recopa Sudamericana (2013).

Breno Bidon’s path at Corinthians

The No. 7 began his football journey playing for Portuguesa’s Under-11 team, then moved on to Grêmio Osasco and the futsal team of Esportivo Penha, one of the main youth clubs in the sport, before arriving at Corinthians in 2019, when he was just 15 years old. In Timão’s youth system, he built a standout story, scoring 14 goals in 118 matches for Alvinegro’s Under-17 and Under-20 teams — 77 wins, 21 draws, and 20 draws.

During that period, he won two titles: the 2021 Paulista Under-17 Championship, against Palmeiras, and the 2024 Copa São Paulo de Futebol Júnior, against Cruzeiro — Timão was coached by former player and club idol Danilo, who is now a coach. In the latter competition, he was voted the best player among all participants.

After the tournament ended, he was promoted to Corinthians’ senior squad and made his debut on March 10, 2024, when Alvinegro drew 0-0 away to Água Santa in the final round of the first phase of that year’s Campeonato Paulista. At the time, he was just 19 years old and received his first chance from then-head coach Antônio Oliveira.

Since then, he has become a key piece in Corinthians’ squad, being a starter most of the time. During that stretch, he was important in the team’s surge in the 2024 Brasileirão (from the relegation zone to the Libertadores preliminary stage — seventh place with 56 points), and he was also a starter in the title-winning campaigns of the Campeonato Paulista (2025), Copa do Brasil (2025), and Supercopa do Brasil (2026), against Palmeiras, Vasco da Gama, and Flamengo, respectively.

This season, he is the team’s fourth-highest scorer (4) and has one assist in 42 matches so far. In the scoring charts over that span, he trails only Yuri Alberto (8), Gustavo Henrique (7), and André Luiz (5). Overall, he has five goals and four assists in 143 matches (115 as a starter) wearing the Corinthians shirt — 60 wins, 42 draws, and 46 losses — a 50% points rate.

At the start of 2025, he renewed his contract with Corinthians until December 2029. The deal includes a domestic release clause set at R$ 370 million and 100 million euros (R$ 591 million) for foreign clubs. According to BCC Sport, Arsenal of England monitored the player’s situation this year.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.