Douglas Santos

Douglas dos Santos Justino de Melo (; born 22 March 1994), known as Douglas Santos or simply Douglas , is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a left-back for Russian Premier League club Zenit Saint Petersburg, which he captains, and the Brazil national team.

Club career

Náutico On 15 February 2012, Douglas Santos made his first team debut, in a 2–0 home win over Central. On the 26th, he scored his first professional goal, the second of a 3–1 home win over Belo Jardim.

On 18 July, he made his Série A debut, in a 3–0 home win over Ponte Preta. On 10 October, he scored his first top flight goal, in a 1–2 away defeat against Ponte Preta.

Granada and Udinese On 12 July 2013, Douglas Santos signed a five-year deal with La Liga side Granada CF, for an undisclosed fee. On 2 September, he joined Udinese Calcio in a season-long loan deal.

Atlético Mineiro On 12 August 2014, Douglas Santos was loaned to Atlético Mineiro for 12 months.

On 20 July 2015, Galo signed Douglas Santos permanently for €3 million on a four-year contract.

Hamburger SV On 31 August 2016, Douglas Santos signed for German club Hamburger SV.

Zenit Saint Petersburg On 4 July 2019, Douglas Santos joined Russian Premier League side FC Zenit Saint Petersburg, signing a five-year contract. On 3 September 2021, he extended his Zenit contract until the end of the 2025–26 season. On 25 July 2024, he extended it for the 2026–27 season, with an option for 2027–28.

International career Brazil (2013–2016)

A few months before featuring with the U-20's winning squad in the 2013 Toulon Tournament, Douglas Santos received a call-up for the full squad on 2 April 2013, for a match against Bolivia. However, he did not leave the bench.

On 13 August 2015, Douglas Santos returned to the senior team, for friendlies against Costa Rica and the United States.

He also represented Brazil at the Rio Olympics winning the Olympic men's football tournament, and at the Copa América Centenario in 2016, early on the same summer international window.

Russia (2025) On 3 March 2025, Santos switched his allegiance to Russia and received a call-up for the friendly match against Zambia, despite the fact that three days earlier he had been on the prelist of Brazil for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification matches against Colombia and Argentina.

Return to Brazil (2025–present) On 31 August 2025, Santos' request to change sports citizenship from Russian to Brazilian was approved by FIFA, following his call up to the Brazil national team for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification matches Chile and Bolivia in September 2025.

Personal life On 21 October 2024, after five years at Zenit, Santos acquired Russian citizenship.

Career statistics Club

International

Honours Atlético Mineiro Copa do Brasil: 2014 Campeonato Mineiro: 2015

Zenit Saint Petersburg Russian Premier League: 2019–20, 2020–21, 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24, 2025–26 Russian Cup: 2019–20, 2023–24 Russian Super Cup: 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 Brazil Olympic Gold Medal: 2016

Brazil U20 Toulon Tournament: 2013, 2014 Valais Youth Cup: 2013 Individual Best Left-back in Brazil: 2015 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A Team of the Year: 2015 Russian Premier League Top assist provider: 2020–21 Russian Premier League Left-back of the Season: 2020–21, 2021–22 Russian Premier League Defender of the Season: 2022–23, 2023–24. Russian Premier League Team of the Season: 2022–23