Real Madrid signed Casemiro from Sao Paulo in 2013. The youngster at the time was tipped to become a big name but Real Madrid fans could not forecast the extent of the legacy he would leave behind in the football capital of the world. To cut a long story short it turns out that moving to Europe was the best possible decision Casemiro could have made.
In nine years at Real Madrid, Casemiro won the Champions League five times, La Liga three times, Club World Cup three times, Super Cup three times, Supercopa three times and the Copa del Rey once. Not a bad honours list, right?
In 2022, Casemiro moved to Manchester United to take part in an exciting project. Although he soon became a hit in Manchester, Casemiro does not have much to show for his move since United are in their worst period in history after Sir Alex Ferguson left eleven years ago. Casemiro will always be remembered for his legendary status with Real Madrid, that is fair to say.
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Real Madrid legend recalls emotional story about Carlo Ancelotti
According to Marca, Carlo Ancelotti tried his hardest to convince Casemiro not to leave Real Madrid in 2022, just a few months after he lifted his fifth Champions League title. The Spanish outlet quote Casemiro recalling the story of his doubt, where Ancelotti cried in his office, not wanting his beloved player to leave the club.
In his own words, Casemiro said: "I only doubted once about leaving Madrid for Manchester United. I'm going to talk to Ancelotti and he already knew I was leaving. I enter his office , he turns around and was crying. Carlo told me that he didn't want me to leave, that he loved me a lot... and there I doubted they loved me a lot, but I had already given my word to United and that is more important than anything."
If only things had worked out differently. Casemiro will always be remembered as a club legend and he could still do an excellent job for Real Madrid to this day. However, so is the nature of football that nothing lasts forever, particularly when big clubs like Manchester United are involved.
From a Real Madrid perspective, it would have been great to watch the Casemiro fairytale unfold at Manchester United. However, to be frank, he is surrounded by awful players who do not share his ambition at Old Trafford. That is why the once-superclub is on a downward trajectory, Casemiro just could not foresee this.
What do you make of Casemiro's departure story?