Dante interview
The Brazilian defender opens up about Nice, Balotelli, Pep and an infamous 7-1 World Cup defeat
Why did you decide to leave Wolfsburg last summer and join up with Ligue 1 club Nice? I’d been playing in Germany for eight seasons, so I thought it was time to discover new things. I’m always looking for new challenges. There was also the chance of playing for Lucien Favre again, and I’d enjoyed working with him at Monchengladbach. He’s open-minded and he lets you discuss things in training. I feel like I am the coach’s man on the field! [Laughs] I wanted to lead this young group and maybe chase the title. It reminds me of the atmosphere we had at Standard Liege in 2007-08.
That young side won the league in Belgium, and at Nice you’ve competed with Monaco and PSG at the top, even heading the Ligue 1 table from September until the winter break. Did you see that title challenge coming back in August? Not at all. Not even the most optimistic Nice fan could have dreamed that. But I was aware they had done well last season and I knew the coach and his philosophy. And I recall saying to myself that if everything works out well, then we could maybe fight for something bigger. We deserved to end the first half of the season as the leaders.
Did Leicester’s story last season inspire you? I wouldn’t say Leicester have been our main inspiration. They had experienced players, but our squad is composed of much younger ones. We’re still far from doing what they achieved.
Is it true you’re helping Mario Balotelli at Nice? That’s right. I’ve somehow become his tutor inside the dressing room. I speak to Mario a lot; he needs
I WOULDN’T SAY LEICESTER HAVE BEEN OUR INSPIRATION. THEY HAD SOME EXPERIENCED PLAYERS, BUT OUR SQUAD’S FULL OF YOUNG ONES”
this support. He’s a very good player, but he needs you to say things to him in a very clear manner. We need him in top shape. When he arrived, I said, ‘Balo, let’s get you back to your best form and the Italian national team – are you with me?’ He replied positively.
Is he popular in the dressing room? [Laughs] I remember the day that he came inside the dressing room with some clothes and asked if the gifts would be well accepted. I told him that if it came from his heart, then everyone would enjoy them, and that’s exactly what happened. It was nice; it showed his loving side.
At Bayern Munich you played with Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Muller. Can Mario reach their level? If he keeps working hard and stays in shape, Mario will reach the same level of these guys or even beat them. He’s got great skills – and some the other two don’t have, such as holding onto the ball and shooting from distance.
You played in Brazil’s 7-1 defeat to Germany in 2014 and said previously that people in Germany joked a lot about it. Was that why you left? Leaving Germany had nothing to do with the 7-1 – that’s a closed chapter for me, part of the past, and I do not think about it any more. I was not feeling fed up with people making jokes about the defeat; I just wanted to move to another country and take on a fresh challenge. Everyone knew me in Germany, but it’s not the same in France - I wanted to come here and meet new people. Also, I like to feel important, and I prefer the role I have at Nice to playing 15 matches in a season and being eliminated in Even when I was with Bayern Munich, Even I was with Bayern Munich, I was not quite as happy as I am now.
What was it like to play under Pep Guardiola at Bayern? How surprised are you that his Manchester City side have struggled defensively? Pep is a top man. If something isn’t going well on the pitch, he’ll look for a solution day and night. If you really pay attention to what he says, and absorb everything he teaches you on and off the field, you’ll watch football from another angle. I learned a lot from him. I only left Bayern because I had to feel that I have an important role with the squad, and I did not feel that way there any more. It’s simply a matter of time for him at City – if they are patient, they’ll be rewarded.