Manchester United will wave goodbye to Casemiro at the end of the season. See where he ranks among his compatriots to wear the shirt.
Casemiro’s Manchester United contract expires at the end of the season and he has confirmed he will leave the club.
He will depart after an eventful four seasons at Old Trafford, where he has made a big impression and left big boots to fill.
Ahead of him captaining his nation at the World Cup, we have put together a ranking of the Brazilian players to represent Manchester United.
Take a look at where Casemiro and his teammate Matheus Cunha rank, and have your say…
1) Casemiro
We have seen Casemiro at his best during his time at Manchester United, particularly during his fourth and final season.
The midfielder has been a powerhouse, capable of impacting the game at both ends of the pitch, demonstrated impressively back in the 2023 Carabao Cup Final.
Casemiro has displayed a consistent eye for goal, and has had to play under various different managers in different systems.
While he had a shaky run in 2023/24, he has emerged stronger the other side, demonstrating why he was a huge success for so many years for Real Madrid.
With more than 20 goals scored for United, he is currently the top scoring Brazilian. We can confidently place him as our number one.
2) Rafael da Silva
One of the most impactful Brazilian players to feature for Manchester United, Rafael da Silva became an instant hit at the right-back position during his time at the club.
Rafael was a ready-made successor for Gary Neville, ensuring there was no drop-off when the club legend faded towards retirement.
Sir Alex Ferguson trusted him, and fans loved his fiery nature, even if it ended up costing him once or twice. The sight of him linking up with his twin brother Fabio against Arsenal lives on in the memory, along with his goal against QPR.
He was sold by Louis van Gaal in 2015 after 170 appearances for the club, contributing to three Premier League titles.
3) Anderson
When United signed Anderson from Porto in 2007, he was billed as a top attacking star, but found his role more as an all-action midfielder.
He made an instant impression by outplaying Cesc Fabregas and Steven Gerrard when he faced them, and ended his first season as a Champions League winner. Anderson even scored in the penalty shootout in the final in Moscow.
Anderson should have gone on to become a world-beater, but he struggled to blossom into a truly elite star. His rise to fame and fortune at United provided its share of off-field challenges, and he won only eight caps for Brazil.
As soon as Sir Alex Ferguson left the club, Anderson faded, loaned out to Fiorentina and then later sold. He retired in 2019 at the age of 31.
Anderson scored only nine goals in 181 appearances, but won the most silverware of any Brazilian to play for Manchester United, contributing to four Premier League titles.
4) Matheus Cunha
Matheus Cunha has the ability to rise to number one on this list in the future if he goes on to become the player we hope he can be.
Cunha is in his first season at the club, and elements of his game have been compared to Eric Cantona and Dwight Yorke.
The former Wolves star has a lot to prove to live up to those comparisons, but we have already seen that he has magic in his boots, shown with his spectacular winner away at Arsenal.
He has been an integral part of Manchester United’s best performances in 2025/26, with his skill, versatility and unpredictability an asset. What he needs to do is find consistency to really reach the next level.
5) Fred
After a tough start under Jose Mourinho, Fred established himself as a regular and very useful player for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at Manchester United.
His midfield partnership with Scott McTominay was seen as too defensive by some, but he helped to make United hard to beat. He also popped up with an occasional goal, scoring 14 for the club in total.
The highlight of Fred’s time at Manchester United was a goal against Barcelona. He played 213 games for the club in total, making him the Brazilian player with the most appearances for Manchester United.
He was often associated with very non-Brazilian type traits, but occasionally he pulled out a special piece of skill, including one memorable drag-back and flick against Atletico Madrid.
6) Antony
The most expensive Brazilian to ever play for Manchester United, Antony would fail to make our list if it was a top five.
Antony actually had a flying start, scoring three goals in his first three games, and went on to score a winner against Barcelona. Injury then kept him out of the FA Cup Final in his first season.
A combination of off-field legal troubles and a struggle to deal with on-pitch expectations saw Antony regress, and he lost his place under Erik ten Hag, who had fought hard to sign him from Ajax.
He did score a vital goal in United’s dramatic 4-3 win over Liverpool in 2024, but failed to build on it.
Antony appeared to lose his confidence, afraid to try and beat his man or try his tricks, and in the end he became too predictable for opponents. This was not what the club hoped for when he was made United’s second most expensive player ever.
He has gone onto become a success at Real Betis in low-pressure surroundings, showing his quality, he just was not a fit for Manchester United.
The Manchester United Brazilian players who missed out
Fabio da Silva: Rafael’s twin brother struggled to match his progress, although he did edge him out to start the 2011 Champions League Final. Unfortunately the team were completely outplayed and it was not a happy memory.
Kleberson: Signed by Sir Alex Ferguson as a World Cup winner, Kleberson was one of a number of cheap signings in the early 2000s that failed to pan out. A swing and a miss.
Andreas Pereira: United snapped Andreas Pereira up for the academy when he was a Belgian youth international. He later switched allegiances to Brazil. If we were ranking pre-season players, Pereira would be number one, but he was unable to translate these eye-catching performances to the big stage.
Alex Telles: Manchester United needed competition and cover for Luke Shaw in 2020 and Alex Telles provided it. The left-back scored one goal for United, memorable strike against Villarreal, and that was as good as it got.
Rodrigo Possebon: A promising youth player, Rodrigo Possebon made his debut in 2008 as a replacement for Ryan Giggs. However, his progress was cut short by a horrific tackle against Middlesbrough. He left United in 2010 with eight appearances.
from United In Focus https://ift.tt/SP1EaWI