DIEGO CARLOS: THE BRAZILIAN WALL WHO CAME FROM LIGUE 1

Exhausted. Wrecked. Helped off by his teammate. But smiling from ear to ear and extremely happy. This is how Diego Carlos left the pitch at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán on Sunday after scoring his first goal for the club that gave Sevilla all three points against CD Leganés. It was a game which ended in the Sevilla box and, amongst others, the Brazilian was in charge of defending with everything he had, up until the last burst of energy that his body possessed. In fact, Diego Carlos, himself, stayed on the pitch until the very end when Sergi Gómez was ready to come on for him after he suffered a knock.

It is that, the man who was Sevilla FC's first summer signing this year, has become an integral part of the defensive line for Julen Lopetegui. Now, after 15 matches in the league and with the group stage of the UEL almost over, the presence of Diego Carlos on the pitch gives the rest of the team a huge boost, as he gives an assurance to their backline. This is what his teammates, Vaclík and Koundé said in the mixed zone after the match, that they are always proud of how our number 20 goes about his work.

Diego Carlos has played every minute of every game since the second match of the league season, after having played 75 in the first league encounter away to Espanyol

The centre-back who came from Nantes, has played 1,338 minutes in La Liga this season, which is the same as fourteen full games since the second game in Granada, in addition to the 75 in the first game against Espanyol in Cornellá in the first outing. In the Europa League, the Brazilian has been mainly rested so that he can play in the league fixtures. However, he did play the full ninety minutes in the first game in Azerbaijan, and did come on for the last twenty minutes against Dudelange in Nervión.

It didn't take long for the Sevilla fanbase to fall in love with the Brazilian. Moreover, after the game against the 'cucumbers' where Diego Carlos' goal and overall contribution gave his side all three points, the fans didn't waste any time in giving him the ovation he deserved. A wall in the Sevilla defense, who whether it's in aerial duels, tackles or races to get to the ball, is the reference point in the seven clean-sheets that Sevilla FC have managed in the fifteen league fixtures, a record of almost 50%.