PROFILE | One season too far for OGC Nice captain Dante? | OneFootball

It can reasonably be argued that this is one season too many for Dante. The Brazilian flirted with the idea of retirement over the summer, but he opted to extend at OGC Nice for one final year. His decision to do so has led to the filming of a Ligue 1 Plus documentary called “The Last Dante“. For now, there isn’t much to show with the 42-year-old hardly featuring. 

Dante, Nice’s club captain, was an ever-present last season, playing 25 of Nice’s 34 Ligue 1 games. It looked as though there was still gas in the tank. He was not a weak link in the defence, despite his age, far from it. Instead, he knitted the defence together. And he didn’t look to have lost his pace either. Given that he suffered an ACL late in his career, it is a minor miracle that he is playing.

The phantom captain

When Dante didn’t play last season, you noticed, as Nice looked more fragile and less organised. He was a key part in driving Le Gym towards an unlikely fourth-place finish. But this season looks to be a bridge too far. His knees have now seemingly given up on him. He has played just five matches all season, including just two in Ligue 1. When he has played, there is an impression that he is restricted, managing the very evident knee problems. He has often been seen with big bags of ice on both knees when coming off. “We know that we can forget [about him] playing every three or four days. We will have to manage him […] with Dante, we’ll take it day by day. We will have to see how he reacts after every match; that will be a part of his season,” said Franck Haise back in September.

The former Bayern Munich man is already planning his post-career and he envisages a career in management. You wonder whether – in hindsight – he would have opted to bring those plans forward, given how his body has reacted to this “Last Dante”, as well as the difficult season that Nice – collectively – are experiencing. This season won’t taint his image – and nor should it – and despite Nice’s variety of problems, Dante is not one of them, but this does look to be one season too many.

GFFN | Luke Entwistle