Casemiro joined Manchester United in August 2022, but now he’s revealed that Real Madrid wanted him to stay.
Two games into the Erik ten Hag era of Manchester United, it looked like already being finished after consecutive defeats to Brighton at Old Trafford and then that 4-0 thrashing against Brentford.
It looked like he was teetering on the edge of an absolute disaster, but following these results, Casemiro was signed to the club in a £70m deal.
He was the midfield solidity which was desperately needed early into Ten Hag’s reign, although that hasn’t carried through into this season.
But now nearly two years on, the five-time Champions League-winning midfielder has shared the story of his exit from Real Madrid.
Here’s what he’s said…
Casemiro shares what Carlo Ancelotti did when his move to Manchester United was done
On Friday in an interview with El Chiringuito TV, Casemiro shared how his Real Madrid manager at the time Carlo Ancelotti reacted to news of the Brazilian’s exit.
Casemiro explained that he visited Ancelotti’s office as the move to Old Trafford drew close, before revealing how the Italian reacted.
“I remember it was a Friday, and almost everything was done; the only thing that was missing was my signature, and I just had to do my medical. But it was already done.
“I went to talk to the Mister [Ancelotti] because I was supposed to train, but I couldn’t train [because the transfer was imminent]. People knew the transfer was done, but I still had to be there.
“And so I go to talk to Ancelotti and he already knew I was leaving. I entered his office, and when he turned around, I saw he was crying. Ancelotti was crying.
“And I am thinking, ‘Why are you crying? No, you can’t be crying.’ And Carlo told me that he didn’t want me to leave and that he loved me very much… and in that moment I doubted [the move] and realised how many people loved me here.
“But I had already committed to it; I had given my word [to United], and my word is more important than anything. But that was the one moment.”
Given how special a figure in football Ancelotti is, this powerful moment would’ve made even the strongest-willed player doubt his move away.
Ancelotti wasn’t the only Real Madrid figure to want to keep Casemiro
For Casemiro, it must’ve been a great feeling to know that the manager wanted him to stay.
But he’s also revealed that Madrid’s president Florentino Perez also didn’t want him to depart.
“When talks were at final stages with Man United on personal terms, Florentino Pérez did not want me to leave.
“He didn’t want to talk to me about leaving Real Madrid. I had to talk to other people at the club!”
Despite not wanting him to leave, the fact United offered £70m for a player who wasn’t exactly in his prime anymore was too good to refuse for Madrid.
This probably says more about United’s recruitment than the willingness of Madrid to sell.