Dante is inexhaustible. This may not be the 41-year-old’s last season in professional football, but it is the penultimate at the very least. “I am aiming for June 2026 but I will not go beyond that. That’s confirmed. That means that if next year I play again, it will be my last season,” said the former Brazil international. There is no doubt that, beyond his unquestionable leadership skills, he remains an asset to Le Gym on the pitch; his statistics from the 2023/24 campaign speak for themselves.
As per FBref, he ranked eighth in Ligue 1 for dribblers tackled, but it is in possession where his upside was truly felt. He has always been exuberant on the ball and that has not changed. He was absolutely essential in build-up, evidenced by the fact that no player in Ligue 1 made more touches than him last season. He also ranked eighth in Europe’s top five divisions for progressive carrying distance, third in Ligue 1 for progressive passing distance and 10th in France’s top flight for passes into the final third.
He was the beating heart in possession for Nice and alongside former partner Jean-Clair Todibo, part of the best centre-back pairing in the league. Over the course of their immense partnership, he earned the respect of Todibo, who made the move to West Ham United in the summer.
Dante more exposed following tactical switch
“Dante is a book – he writes it himself. He has so much experience and played at the top, top level,” continued the France international,” said Todibo. Now-former sporting director Florent Ghisolfi added, “He perfectly embodies the expectations and the identity that we want to impart on this team, and more globally, the expectations and the identity of the club.”
Under Franck Haise, who has switched to a three-man defence, Dante has not been as prominent in possession, whilst as a LCB, he has been exposed more than he was last season. At times, that lack of pace – understandable – has shown. However, Dante has always been best when pushing up high and being aggressive, and the back-three system does facilitate that with the former Bayern Munich man at times pushing as high as the opposition box. He won’t be around forever, but Dante remains very important for this Nice side, especially alongside Moise Bombito and Mohamed Abdelmonem, both new to European football, and Youssouf Ndayishimiye, adapting to a new position as a centre-back. That kind of impact cannot be measured in stats.
