Leadership, height and strength: Domingos Duarte, São Paulo target | OneFootball

* By contributor Pimenta

São Paulo has been intensifying its search for reinforcements, and the defensive system is the board’s main focus. With that in mind, the club is looking for a center-back with leadership qualities, physical presence, and international experience.

And one player who fits Tricolor’s search is 32-year-old Portuguese defender Domingos Duarte. As reported by AVANTE MEU TRICOLOR, São Paulo has opened talks with the Portuguese defender, although negotiations are still at an early stage.

An established center-back in European football, he already has a proposal from Tricolor in hand. Domingos Duarte came through Sporting Portugal’s youth ranks and has always shown himself to be a player with great physical strength and leadership.

During his career, he has played for Sporting B, Belenenses (loan), Chaves (loan), as well as Spain’s Granada (2019-2022) and Getafe (2022-present).

His contract expires in the middle of the year and is not expected to be renewed by Getafe, making him a free agent. Therefore, the player fits São Paulo’s preferred deal structure, with no transfer fee and only signing-on fees and wages to be agreed.

In the 2025/26 season, Domingos played 33 La Liga matches, with one goal and one assist, and was an undisputed starter in Getafe’s defense, which was in fact one of the best defensive units in the Spanish league.

The Portuguese center-back’s main strengths are:

* Excellent in the air * Strong in physical duels * Good defensive reading of the game * Leadership and positioning * ⁠Height (1.92 m)

Compared with players currently playing in Brazil, we can say the Portuguese defender has characteristics similar to Paraguayan center-back Gustavo Gómez of rivals Palmeiras. But we must also consider some negatives in his style of play:

* He is not a fast center-back * He picks up a lot of cards

Because of his combative profile, he often goes a bit too far. Even with these negatives, I see a possible move for the Portuguese defender in a positive light, as he fits the profile requested by coach Dorival: the classic defensive sheriff.

Obviously, Domingos Duarte has a market in both Europe and Brazil. If it doesn’t turn into a bidding war, I think he would be an interesting addition to the Tricolor squad, since we need center-backs after the departures of Arboleda and Dória.

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