Touted as a “grade 7 full-back”, Douglas Santos has been one of the biggest highlights of the Brazilian team at the 2026 World Cup. What was a concern for many, and even for Carlo Ancelotti, became a pleasant surprise at Brazil’s left-back.
According to data from the Sofascore platform, it has an average rating of 6.98 after Brazil’s four games at the World Cup. He has so far faced Morocco, Haiti, Scotland and Japan. However, what has caught the fans’ attention is the security that the left-back displays defensively.
The numbers show that Douglas is the player who has the most tackles among the entire group of Brazilian athletes, with an average of three tackles per game.
Furthermore, he also has data such as 4.2 balls recovered per game, only two dribbles suffered in the entire World Cup, 68% efficiency in duels and 74% efficiency in duels on the ground.
Now, since the player only has one chance created throughout the competition.
Defensively safe cup
So far, Brazil has only conceded two goals in the 2026 World Cup. Both did not actually pass through the left side of the field, where Douglas Santos plays.
The other players in the Brazilian defense have also stood out. Marquinhos and Gabriel Magalhães, for example, have presented scores higher than 7.0 in all matches so far.
Magalhães also helped the team offensively in the match against Japan, when he assisted Casemiro’s goal.
However, what still worries fans is the right side of the defense, due to Danilo, who started the succession of errors in the goal conceded in the decisive match this Monday (29).
