Do you remember Anderson Luis de Abreu Oliveira? He arrived to Manchester United in 2007 as one of the world’s most talented players. He was only 19 years old at the time, but the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson had confidence that the young Brazilian will reach stardom at Old Trafford. However, even one of the best managers in the history of football made a few mistakes.Anderson made a total of 181 appearances for The Red Devils over eight years, but he rarely hit the kind of form that was expected of him. There were too many injuries and competition for places, but it’s not the whole story. Thanks to Anderson’s old teammate Rafael da Silva, we can finally see the entire picture. Rafael published his autobiography recently and revealed Anderson’s biggest passion – hamburgers!”We could be on the team coach and pass the services on the motorway, and Anderson would jump up impulsively and yell about wanting to get a burger at McDonald’s! He used to pick up many serious injuries, and then his problems with eating started to affect him. It was no coincidence that his best form came when he had a lot of games because that was when he couldn’t eat so much.”Anderson lifted the Premier League in 2008 (©AFP)Anderson was deprived of pretty much everything during his childhood. There were no burgers and sweets where he came from. He lost his father when he was just 14 years old. His entire family was left without the person who provided for them. When his big contract in England arrived, Anderson was relieved because he could finally help his mother escape poverty. Speaking to Independent in 2011, the talented midfielder revealed why he was so relaxed.”I come from a background where I suffered a lot of deprivation. I had to leave home when I was 12 to fulfil my dream of being a footballer, and thank God I succeeded. My family also suffered a lot, and now they are happy for me because they have everything they need. I have been able to support my whole family. They have apartments, houses, cars – they are sorted out for life.”It’s an old story about talented players who went on to throw their talent away because they lacked dedication and work ethic. When Anderson got his hands on cash, the sheer relief made him want to enjoy the things that were previously too far beyond his reach. One of them eats chicken and only drinks only water (©AFP)Rafael could see that his fellow Brazilian had all the tools to become a footballing legend. “The guy was crazy, but I love him. Give him freedom on the pitch and a good run of games, and he’ll show you that he’s one of the best players in the league. I will say something about Anderson – if he had been a professional football player, he could have been the best in the world. I’m saying this was all seriousness. I don’t know if he ever took anything seriously. He just loved life in such an easy and casual way.”However, Anderson’s career played out differently. No Ballon D’Ors, no World Cup glory. In fact, many football fans have already forgotten that he used to wear the Manchester United colours. After the disappointing end of his Old Trafford stay, he returned to his homeland before finishing his playing career in Turkey in October 2020. Fábio and Rafael da Silva are identical twins, so alike that Sir Alex Ferguson could only tell the pair apart by the fact that Fábio wore a wedding ring. Fábio was once booked for a foul Rafael had committed in a League Cup tie against Barnsley. #ManUtd #Brazil pic.twitter.com/41wm5sEEdl— LearnEnglishThroughFootball (@LETFootball) December 19, 2020 We hope those burgers tasted nice, Anderson. Enjoy your retirement!
