Manchester United have spent £146m on two players who both began their careers at Sao Paulo, but stylistically they are polar opposites
Words Chris Flanagan
MANCHESTER UNITED
Sao Paulo FC have long had a nickname in Brazil – O Clube da Fe. The Faith Team. The term was first coined by a journalist in 1937, as Sao Paulo finally emerged from a turbulent period in which internal arguments ripped the club apart, threatening its very existence less than a decade after it had been founded.
Ultimately, a little bit of faith turned things around. The club united, and Sao Paulo got back on track. Since then, they’ve sealed six Brazilian league titles, claimed a hat-trick of Copas Libertadores and been crowned world champions three times. They’ve produced no shortage of talent over the years, too: Cafu, Juninho, Denilson, Kaka et al.
Now, in their own bid to aid their fortunes, after plenty of internal upheaval, Manchester United have put their faith in two more Sao Paulo graduates. Casemiro and Antony made their first-team debuts eight years apart, and had never played together at club level before joining forces at Old Trafford. Together however, they’re tasked with spearheading the Red Devils’ resurgence.
It’s 15 years since Casemiro first turned out at Old Trafford. Back then, Sao Paulo’s youth team had been invited to take part in the Manchester United Premier Cup, alongside clubs like Hertha Berlin, Krylia Sovetov Samara and Barcelona. It was the latter who took home the trophy, defeating Sao Paulo in the final at the Theatre of Dreams and leaving many of the beaten side in tears. Paul Scholes and Louis Saha handed out the prizes, but a runners-up medal was scant consolation. “The film of that game still runs in my mind,” Casemiro said recently. “Not in my wildest dreams did I imagine myself playing here for Manchester United one day.”
Known to his mother as Carlos Henrique Casimiro, the defensive midfielder was once dubbed ‘Carlao’ – Portuguese for ‘Big Carl’, a bit like that guy at your local Powerleague who enjoys throwing his weight around. Technique and finesse have never been his most prominent qualities, but the 30-year-old has long been able to make a team tick, doing the essential but less glamorous work that allows his more creative colleagues to come to the fore.
Casemiro made his senior debut for Sao Paulo in 2010, then learned from the great Rivaldo when the Selecao veteran arrived the following season. The club had slipped out of the Copa Libertadores for the first time in seven years, though the presence of the young midfielder would help
