Diego Carlos Santos Silva, known as Diego Carlos, is a seasoned defender originating from Brazil. Born on 15 March 1993, the 31-year-old currently plays as a central defender for Aston Villa, donning the number 3 jersey. Flaunting a sturdy build, he stands at 6ft 1in (1.86m) tall and weighs in at 12st 6lb (79kg). In addition to his impressive Club career, Carlos has made significant strides internationally, representing the Brazil national team.
As of now, Carlos commands a market value of roughly €11.00m, which equates to approximately £9.5m. This esteemed valuation is cited by Transfermarkt. With a contract set to expire on 30 June 2026, Carlos remains a key component of Aston Villa's tactical approach for the remaining 1 year and 6 months.
Carving out a career that spans numerous high-level football stages, Carlos kicked off his journey as a professional footballer at Estoril in Portugal in the 2015 - 2016 season. During his debut season, he made an impressive 31 first team appearances and netted two goals.
Carlos then took his talents to France, joining Nantes in the 2016 - 2017 season. Here he made 34 first team appearances and replicated his previous season's goal tally with another two goals. He continued with Nantes until 2019, making 28 and 35 first team appearances and scoring one goal each in the 2017 - 2018 and the 2018 - 2019 seasons respectively.
In the 2019 - 2020 season, Carlos moved to Sevilla in Spain, where he maintained his upward trajectory. He made 35 first team appearances and scored twice in his debut season. His goal tally dipped to one in the next season, despite making a solid 33 first team appearances. However, he had a brilliant 2021 - 2022 season, making 34 first team appearances and scoring three goals, his highest tally at Sevilla.
Carlos then journeyed to England, signing for Aston Villa in the 2022 - 2023 season. Despite only making three first team appearances in his debut season, he picked up the pace in the 2023 - 2024 season, making 27 first team appearances. In the current 2024 - 2025 season, he has already made ten first team appearances, demonstrating his consistent value to the team.
Apart from his league contributions, Carlos has also been pivotal in various cup competitions for Aston Villa. He participated in the League Cup during the 2024 - 2025 season and the Conference League in 2023 - 2024, scoring one goal in six starts and making one appearance as a substitute. He also proved instrumental in the Champions League during the 2024 - 2025 season with five starts and one appearance as a substitute.
