Manchester United completed the signing of Brazilian midfield general Casemiro in a deal worth £70m including add-ons.
The 30-year-old has already had his first training session with the Red Devils and is even in contention to start against Southampton.
The former Real Madrid man is however not a new face to Old Trafford, in a bizarre story which also involves pizza.
According to Marcus Alves, one of Casemiro’s earliest setbacks in his illustrious career came at Old Trafford where he took part in a competition. It involved pizza.
“Casemiro was just 15 when he first showcased his talents at Old Trafford, making the trip with his first club, Sao Paulo, to play in the Nike Cup.”
“He was part of a highly talented generation of players including, among others, Tottenham Hotspur winger Lucas Moura, former Chelsea midfielder Oscar and Brazil international centre-back Rodrigo Caio.”
While Casemiro and his team eventually lost in the final, there are still fond memories of his contributions.
Bruno Petri, Casemiro’s Sao Paulo coach and current member of his entourage, told Telegraph Sport, “Before facing Barcelona, we had beaten Schalke 04 in the semi-finals and decided to order some pizzas for the team to celebrate.”
“After losing in the final, Casemiro was really mad on our flight back home. Even as frustrated as I was as a manager, I thought he was overreacting a little bit, especially for a kid of his age.”
“So I asked him, ‘Why do you look so upset, Casemiro?’ And he explained, ‘I don’t think we should have bought pizza before the final.”
“I was speechless, but that showed how much he cared about the team, despite being so young.”
As Casemiro’s teammates will soon find out, this kind of fire in the belly has not died within the Brazil international.
So much so that according to Guillermo Rai, at United they already consider the new arrival a warrior.
“He will only arrive with two training sessions behind him, but Casemiro is expected to be called up and make his debut at St Mary’s Stadium.
At United they already consider him a “warrior”…”
🚩Noticia @diarioas
Solo llegará con dos sesiones de entrenamiento a sus espaldas, pero está previsto que Casemiro vaya convocado y haga su debut en el St Mary’s Stadium.
En el United ya le tienen por un “guerrero”…https://t.co/sQC6qYuMXP
— Guillermo Rai (@GuillerRai) August 25, 2022
Casemiro will certainly have no trouble in endearing himself to the Old Trafford faithful, and should have the chance to do so this Saturday against Southampton.
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