Casemiro a steal of a deal for Man U

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This article was published 20/08/2022 (1501 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Carlos Henrique Casemiro has spent his entire life proving people wrong.

At various points since joining São Paulo’s academy at age 10, the five-time Champions League winner has been described as too fat, too frail, too arrogant and too slow.

And now, as he completes his switch from Real Madrid to Manchester United, he is supposedly too old. Nevermind that, at 30, he is younger than each of Manchester City maestro Kevin de Bruyne, Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson and Chelsea stalwart N’Golo Kanté.

Still, a “panic buy,” apparently — a high-profile defensive midfielder acquired by a club who desperately needed one, and who were embarrassingly spurned by Barcelona’s Frenkie de Jong and even more embarrassingly by Adrien Rabiot of Juventus.

Given United’s scattershot approach to the transfer period, there does seem to be some truth to this notion. But if that’s the case, then the Red Devils accidentally signed the right player. And the character of the person they’ve convinced to join a patently unattractive project will be just as important as the protection their wobbly defense has suddenly gained.

Yes, Casemiro is resilient and confident and has repeatedly fed back the criticism of his detractors, but he has done so not out of pride but rather because there was nothing else he could do but just be himself, patiently persisting through the adversity facing him — of which there’s been no shortage.

It was in 2011, at the South American U-20 Championship in Peru, that he was first really noticed by a broader audience. The tournament’s reputation as a scout’s paradise had already been well-established, and given the status of several Brazilian prospects it generated even more attention than usual. But it wasn’t Casemiro they wanted to see.

The season before, a teenaged Neymar had bagged an eye-popping 42 goals for Santos (a haul, incidentally, that he’s not matched since), and he finished the competition — which Brazil won — with more than double the goals of the next-highest scorer. The now-PSG forward was the main attraction, and Seleção Sub-20 teammates Lucas Moura, Danilo, Oscar and Henrique Almeida drew significant interest as well.

If anything, Casemiro tended to get a bit of a ribbing on account of his size, but he was just beginning his first full professional season, and, as it turned out, the right people had noticed his quiet effectiveness. Less than two years later he arrived at Real Madrid — a remarkable feat for someone who, not long before, hadn’t been able to afford a 20-cent yoghurt shake.

Growing up, Casemiro’s primary concern was the wellbeing of his brother and sister. As a five-year-old he had watched his father storm out of the house following a fight with his mother, never to return. The family moved in with an aunt, but he often slept at a teammate’s home before a match so as to get a better rest.

Responsible and, by all accounts, likeable, he sufficiently impressed at Nilton Moreira’s football camp in São José de Campos that the latter was convinced to recommend him to São Paulo. Shortly after joining the Soberano academy, however, he contracted Hepatitis and lost enough weight for his new employers to be properly concerned.

But he recovered, filled out his frame and was soon captaining the club’s youth teams. Nevertheless, when Real Madrid came calling in 2013 they were skeptical enough to only offer a loan arrangement. Even when the transfer was made permanent they paid a fee of slightly more than €5 million. Twelve months later they loaned him to Porto. And that’s when it all started to click.

Porto boss Julen Lopetegui, a teaching coach who had previously worked with Spain’s underage sides, was smitten by him: “He has character,” “tactically very good,” “centre-backs adore him,” “of 10 challenges he wins 9…”

Zinedine Zidane’s notes must have been similar, because shortly after his appointment as Real Madrid manager he combined Casemiro, Luka Modric and Toni Kroos into a midfield trio that would deliver three straight European Cups, and another just last spring.

That latest victory qualified Madrid for this month’s UEFA Super Cup — Casemiro’s final start for the club at which, against all odds, he became one of world football’s top midfielders. He assisted what proved to be the winning goal, passed at 84 per cent and made two interceptions. And, as if to prove Lopetegui right, he made nine successful tackles out of 11 — and was named Man of the Match.

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Quite a performance from a panic buy. Of course, at bottom-of-the-table Manchester United he’ll be embarking on one of the greatest challenges of his career. The difference this time is that he’s been able to drive the entire process, from negotiating a significant pay rise to signing off on the transfer itself. All that’s left is to defy the doubters yet again.

Too old? No way. In over his head? Try again.

The only embarrassment involved in Casemiro’s move to United is the noise of the naysayers he’ll inevitably hush — just by being himself.

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Twitter @JerradPeters