The legendary Carlo Ancelotti dubbed Casemiro his ‘most important player’ at the Emirates on Saturday after Brazil’s dominant 2-0 victory over Senegal.
Who’d have thought? The same Casemiro who, just 18 months ago, was described as ‘done at the top level’ by Jamie Carragher in a scathing rant on Sky Sports.
The same Casemiro who found himself brutally axed from the Brazil squad and an unused substitute in 10 of Ruben Amorim’s first 16 games at Manchester United.
The very same Casemiro who Amorim admitted a couple of weeks ago was behind even Toby Collyer, now on loan at West Brom, in his Man United midfield pecking order at the turn of the year.
From the lowest ebb of his glittering career, as he nears his 34th birthday, the Brazilian has found a new lease of life.
He’s gone from an outcast at both international and club level to an integral part of Ancelotti’s superstar Brazil side and a shining light in an improving team at Old Trafford in a matter of months.
New Brazil manager Carlo Ancelotti described Casemiro as his ‘most important’ player on the weekend
The 33-year-old had just put in a performance akin to those he pulled out during his pomp at Real Madrid
Casemiro’s enjoyed a renaissance this season after being written off in many quarters
So many had written off the former Real Madrid and Porto star – and perhaps for good reason.
After a stellar first season in the Premier League – one in which he won United’s Player of the Season as they secured Champions League football – Casemiro’s slump began in his second.
An early-season muscular problem kept him out for some three months and he never truly got back up to speed. A series of poor performances followed, culminating in arguably the worst of his career in May 2024 at Selhurst Park.
Deployed as a centre-back, he looked a shadow of his former self as United slumped to a humiliating 4-0 defeat to Oliver Glasner’s Crystal Palace. It was moments after the final whistle that Jamie Carragher uttered the infamous line – ‘leave the football before the football leaves you.’
‘I think Casemiro, deadly serious, should know tonight as an experienced professional that he should only have another three games left at the top level,’ the former Liverpool defender said. ‘He has to call it a day at this level of football and move.’
Weeks later the midfielder was left out of United’s side for their victorious FA Cup win against Manchester City, with Erik Ten Hag instead opting for a midfield axis of Kobbie Mainoo and Scott McTominay.
It’s thought that Casemiro celebrated the win only briefly, leaving post-match celebrations early to go back to his family. Many speculated that summer could spell the end of his United career with offers from Saudi Arabia on the table, but the Brazilian stayed.
His dismal run of form however continued at the start of the 2024-25 season. With United 2-0 down to Liverpool just three games in, he was withdrawn by Ten Hag at half-time in what would be one of his last starts under the Dutchman.
It was after a dire performance at Crystal Palace in May 2024 that Jamie Carragher said Casemiro ‘should know he’s done at the top level’
He was reduced to a peripheral figure at Old Trafford after being so crucial in his first season
And his misery continued when Amorim arrived that November, with Casemiro finding himself below Kobbie Mainoo, Manuel Ugarte, Bruno Fernandes and even Toby Collyer in the Portuguese’s estimations.
It was a sad state of affairs for a player who was once a third of arguably European football’s best ever midfield alongside Toni Kroos and Luka Modric.
Yet from there began Casemiro’s resurgence. With games coming thick and fast on United’s run to the Europa League final, the 33-year-old was handed more opportunities.
There followed impressive performances against Lyon, in which he set up Harry Maguire’s dramatic late winner, Athletic Bilbao, against whom he bagged a goal, and a colossal showing against Man City. In that derby, the seemingly fallen giant made more tackles than any player facing Pep Guardiola’s side since the Spaniard took charge in 2016.
Ancelotti’s appointment as Brazil coach also helped. It was reported that the Italian shed a tear when Casemiro left Los Blancos for United in the summer of 2022, so it was perhaps unsurprising that one of his first acts as the Selecao’s coach was to recall a midfielder he won three Champions Leagues with.
But late last season Casemiro began to enjoy something of a renaissance under Ruben Amorim
The Brazilian played a key part in United’s incredible Europa League comeback against Lyon
The Brazilian has since featured in every game under Ancelotti, his latest cap coming against Senegal on the weekend. It was a performance akin to those Casemiro produced in his pomp at Madrid – utterly dominant.
Asked by Daily Mail Sport about the 33-year-old’s impact afterwards, Ancelotti gushed: ‘He did really well. The most important player for the balance of the team when we have the ball. He’s very intelligent tactically. He’s got lots of quality. Really important as a leader for the squad and a really important player for us.’
Amorim echoed that sentiment a few weeks earlier.
In the 553 minutes Casemiro’s played for United this term, the Red Devils have conceded a goal every 110.6 minutes. When he’s absent, that decreases to 31.54 minutes per goal.
It’s telling that the only game he’s missed, through suspension, was the capitulation at Brentford where Amorim’s men were well beaten 3-1 by a side tipped for relegation.
In the 553 minutes Casemiro’s played for United this term, the Red Devils have conceded a goal every 110.6 minutes. When he’s absent, that decreases to 31.54 minutes per goal
If there’s one thing that Casemiro’s redemption has proven, it’s that you don’t write off a five-time Champions League winner
‘In the beginning, he was behind every midfielder, even Toby [Collyer]’ Amorim said of his resurgence. ‘But he fought and he worked and now he’s back in the national team.
‘The other guys need to look at Casemiro and understand that football can change really fast.’
With his Old Trafford contract up at the end of the season, the question which now beckons is whether the Brazilian will prolong his Premier League stay past this season.
A couple of months ago there was an easy answer to that question for most United fans, but things change quickly in football.
If there’s one thing that Casemiro’s redemption has proven, it’s that you don’t write off a five-time Champions League winner.
Form is temporary and class is permanent, don’t they say?
