KEY POINTS:
Lomana Lualua prefers a somersault, Tim Cahill boxes the corner flag, Luis Garcia sucks his thumb and Peter Crouch once did the robo-kop.
Daniel added some South American colour to the Phoenix last weekend when he followed Ronaldinho's lead with a Brazilian samba after his winner against Melbourne.
The 27-year-old midfielder is not sure if he will make it his signature but on the evidence of a handful of games to date, he could well have a number of opportunities to perform it when Wellington's A-League season kicks off on August 26.
"I hope we will see lots of samba this season," Daniel said. "I did the samba when I scored against Melbourne because I promised my team-mates I would do it for my first goal.
"I don't know if I will make samba my celebration - you have to change - but maybe my next goal, I will do some more samba."
If it's not Daniel, it could be one of his team-mates. He's one of four Brazilians at the Phoenix this season and they have helped the Wellington side move to a different beat than their predecessors, the Knights.
Daniel, in particular, is already being talked of as a player who could spark the Phoenix to success not enjoyed by the Knights.
He clearly has an eye for goal - he smacked in last week's winner from a seemingly impossible angle and laid on the pass for Shane Smeltz to open the scoring - and has great skill and vision. He's also adapted well to life in the capital, as well as the more rigorous style of play here.
He arrived six weeks before his countrymen and had only a smattering of English. "Learning English was difficult in the beginning," he said. "Training was hard because I had to speak only English. That is Ricki's rule but now it's good, no problem."
Daniel was contracted sight-unseen after coach Ricki Herbert viewed a series of DVDs but Herbert was clearly convinced the Brazilian would be a success given he signed him for two seasons. Herbert beat off an approach from top Dutch side Feyenoord but Daniel has no regrets about venturing to New Zealand.
"I came here because I wanted to play abroad again because I played in Hungary and Holland before going home to Brazil where I played for five years," he said. "Going abroad again is good for me. All I knew about the A-League happened last year because Romario played for Adelaide.
"My agent spoke to the coach of Feyenoord. He looked at my DVD and wanted to talk further but by then, I had already signed with the Phoenix. I am happy with my decision. I have no regrets."
Although from Rio de Janeiro, Daniel grew up away from the favellas, or slums, that have produced many famous players. There is a romanticism attached to the mean streets but Daniel's happy to avoid them. "There are good people there but also dangerous people. Some good players have come out of the favellas."
There have probably been some good samba dancers, too. It's not yet known if the dance will catch on with his team-mates but Daniel doesn't hold out much hope if they try.
"If the other players want to samba, they will have to do a lot of practice. Ross [Aloisi], I think, will never be able to learn to samba."
The Phoenix are shaping as a competitive team, according to Newcastle coach Gary Van Egmond.
His side won a penalty shootout 4-2 after both teams drew 0-0 in the Pre-Season Cup playoff for fifth in Wellington on Friday.
"Their brand of football, even in the trying conditions was a lot more pleasing to the eye," Van Egmond said. "Daniel and Shane Smeltz are obviously a handful."
