- Anderson appeared on Rio Ferdinand’s YouTube channel
- Pair enjoyed success together including Champions League triumph
- Brazilian named his dog after Wes Brown
Perhaps the best way to describe Anderson’s time at Manchester United is eight years of pure, unadulterated chaos. At the same time, his biggest moment in a red shirt is defined by the club’s greatest measure of success in the 2008 Champions League final.
The Brazilian’s stint at Old Trafford is often debated for its inconsistency due to injuries. However, there is no denying that the infectious energy he brought to the squad could not even avoid the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Sir Alex Ferguson.
Anderson arrived from FC Porto in 2007, making 181 appearances and scoring nine times for the club. After a short loan spell to Serie A side in Fiorentina, the midfielder left United on a free transfer in 2014 under Louis Van Gaal.
His spell in England was still a resounding success, judged by trophies. He won four Premier League titles, one League Cup, one FIFA Club World Cup, the Community Shield and the Champions League in his time under Ferguson.
The recent episode of ‘Rio Ferdinand Presents’ was a trip down memory lane with the ex-defender and Anderosn himself.
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The Teammate Who Became Anderson’s Pet
Anderson appeared on the latest episode of ‘Rio Ferdinand Presents‘. Speaking on the former defender’s YouTube channel, the pair reminisced over their time together at Manchester United. The pair shared the pitch 108 times during their time at Old Trafford. Only four other players clocked more career minutes alongside the Brazilian than Ferdinand.
The conversation turned to Anderson’s early days in Manchester as a non-English speaker. The midfielder arrived from Porto and managed to integrate into the Old Trafford dressing room amongst big personalities. When Ferdinand asked who helped him settle in, Anderson listed the core of that team which included Rio himself, Darren Fletcher, John O’Shea, and Wes Brown.
However, the tribute to Brown took a hilarious turn. With a grin on his face, Anderson revealed exactly who he named his pet dog after. The 38-year-old claimed: “My dog is [called] Wes Brown!”
Rio was quick to verify the story, recalling the moment a young Anderson first broke the news to the squad. “I remember you coming and saying, ‘I have a dog, his name’s Wes Brown,'” Ferdinand laughed. It was just one example of Anderson’s electric personality that shone through that United squad.
In the 2008 Champions League final in Moscow, it was Brown that Anderson replaced as a substitute in the final minutes of extra time. Moments later, Anderson stepped up to smash home United’s sixth penalty in the shootout, which came straight after John Terry’s iconic slip.
The ‘What If?’ Career
Once upon a time, Anderson was primed for greatness. Before his move to Europe, he won the Golden Ball at the U17 World Cup for Brazil in 2005 for his exceptional role as a playmaker. Brazil lost that final, but Anderson was stretchered off in the first half of that game.
In his time at Porto, he suffered from a leg break, yet came back to impress Ferguson enough to spend €30m on him in 2007. In his first season at United, he won the Champions League, scoring in the 6-5 penalty shootout against Chelsea. By the end of that year, he also won the Golden Boy award.
The injuries came to play in the years that followed, ultimately stagnating his career in England. Throughout the years, right up until Ferguson’s retirement, Anderson remained the ‘teacher’s pet’. David Moyes’ arrival sealed the deal on his career, before retiring young at 31 years old.
As Ferdinand and Anderson’s laughter proved, his legacy at Old Trafford isn’t just measured in medals, but in the hilarious, lasting friendships he left behind in Manchester.
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