It is all downhill after Real Madrid. Many top players have found that out over the years. Just this summer, we saw Raphael Varane join Como, as his time at Manchester United proved to be a disappointment. And he is not the only one who is having a tough time since switching Santiago Bernabeu for Old Trafford.
Another one to make the same journey the year after Varane was Casemiro. But the Brazilian seems to have lost all the aura around him as well.
In fact, Casemiro is being considered by many as one of the weaknesses of this current Manchester United team. Something like that would have been unthinkable just a couple of years back.
Casermiro's performance against Liverpool drew a lot of criticism from fans and the media alike. He was at fault for two of the Reds' goals and was taken off at half-time. Rio Ferdinand is one Manchester United legend who has decided to come to the defence of the Brazilian though.
Rio Ferdinand says comments about Real Madrid legend are 'disrespectful'
As reported by the Mirror, Jamie Carragher said while talking about Casemiro's performance:
"He's had such a great career and won everything you can possibly win, and it is a sad sight seeing what he's going through out there.
"A poor pass can happen any time, but the second one, getting knocked over, he looks shattered as he's falling over."
Ferdinand did not seem too impressed with the comments. He said on his Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast:
"I just think that's highly disrespectful.
"I just think it's really disrespectful because - especially given what my man's won - there's more to it than just he's made a couple of mistakes.
"Because if you look at the two games before this season, he's been probably arguably Man Utd 's best player. I think it's easier to say that he's gone, he's finished.
"But I believe, when I look at him, I just feel that he's being asked to do a lot of things like play 30-yard balls and dictate the pace of the game etc.
"These are things that Man Utd would never have recruited him for because he'd never been asked to do this at Real Madrid. He was cleaning up, security in front, slide tackling, covering all the gaps. And then giving it to other people to play football."
Casemiro certainly deserves all the respect in the world. He was a key part of one of the greatest European teams ever.
That being said, one cannot deny that his performances at Manchester United have not been up to the mark. Perhaps it has to do with the role he is being asked to play. But he is not doing his 'bread and butter' stuff particularly well either.
It would be pretty safe to say that Real Madrid are the ones who came out on top when it comes to that £60 million transfer move a couple of years back. It might have been considered a blow at the time but since then, they have won the La Liga, Copa del Rey and Champions League once each. On the other hand, Casemiro's career has been on a downward trajectory.