Remarkable rise: former HSV player now a regular for Brazil! | OneFootball

Douglas Santos played for HSV for three years and was relegated from the Bundesliga in 2018. Now, he finds himself in entirely different surroundings.

In international club football, the now 31-year-old still does not play a major role. This is because Zenit St. Petersburg, where he moved in the summer of 2019 for a transfer fee of around 14 million euros from Hamburg, has not been allowed to participate in European competitions for four years due to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. However, in the league, Santos seems to be convincing across the board and has even worn the captain’s armband for three years.

In any case, his performances have made an impression on Brazilian national coach Carlo Ancelotti. On Tuesday, the association published the squad for the friendly matches against France and Croatia. Santos was included in the 26-man squad as one of two left-backs. He was preferred, among others, over Carlos Augusto, who regularly plays for the soon-to-be Italian champions Inter.

Photo: Getty Images

Ex-HSV pro Santos set for World Cup appearance

For the technically gifted Santos, this is already his third call-up since Ancelotti took office. In November, he had to withdraw due to a shoulder injury. Previously, the former Hamburg player had already featured in matches against Chile and South Korea. Thus, more than nine years after his debut, which took place in May 2016 against Panama, he played his second and third international matches.

At that time, Santos was still under contract with Atletico Mineiro. A few months later, he moved to HSV on deadline day, with the club spending over six million euros. The investment ultimately paid off considering the resale fee. However, the time of the 2016 Olympic champion was mixed. In total, he played 88 competitive matches and was usually one of the better players even during the relegation season.

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Santos even followed the team into the 2. Bundesliga, where he stood out for his footballing skills, but was unable to prevent the drop to fourth place. The subsequent move to St. Petersburg turned out to be the right decision for him both sportingly and probably financially. After his renewed call-up, much suggests that Santos will also take part in the World Cup this summer.

Photo: Getty Images

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