FORMER Manchester United star Anderson once had the world at his feet.
But an obsession with McDonald’s and a string of controversies led to his downfall in the beautiful game.
AFPFormer Man Utd star Anderson was once tipped for greatness[/caption]
He won a string of trophies during his time at Old Trafford
Anderson’s first season ended with a league and European doubleGetty
He even won the prestigious Golden Boy award before his career took a downward turnGetty
Anderson, 36, had already spent three years starring for Gremio and Porto when he secured a move to United in 2007.
Two years earlier he won the Fifa U17 World Championship Golden Ball.
And aged just 19 at the time, the playmaker commanded an eye-watering £27million fee.
Yet Sir Alex Ferguson felt Anderson, already a two-time Portuguese league winner, was worth every penny after drawing comparisons with Wayne Rooney.
He wrote in his autobiography: “I sent Martin (Ferguson, brother) to watch him in every game for four or five weeks.
“Martin said, ‘Alex, he’s better than Rooney!’ ‘For Christ’s sake, don’t say that,’ I told him.
“’He’ll need to be good to be better than Rooney’. Martin was adamant.”
Anderson’s first season at United saw him make 38 appearances in all competitions, including 24 in the league.
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It also resulted in a stunning Premier League and Champions League double, as well as the Golden Boy award in 2008.
But it also would prove to be his highest amount of games in a season for the rest of his Old Trafford career.
Anderson helped Brazil win the Copa America in 2007
His short-lived international career resulted in just eight caps
GettyAnderson’s obsession with McDonald’s took hold as he picked up more and more injuries[/caption]
Indeed, it wasn’t until the 2009/10 campaign when Anderson netted his first goal for the club.
Injuries had already started piling up for the midfielder, who by this point had won the last of his eight caps for Copa America winners Brazil.
And along the way, an unhealthy obsession with junk food – namely McDonald’s – began to take a hold.
Former United and Brazil teammate Rafael said: “We would be on the team coach and pass the services on the motorway, and Anderson would jump up impulsively and yell ‘McDonalds’, McDonald’s’.”
Rafael went on to claim that Anderson could have been the “best in the world” had he knuckled down more.
He added: “The guy was crazy, but I love him. Give him a football and he would just play with freedom.
“And sometimes, if he got a good run of games, he could play as well as any player in the league.
“He picked up a lot of big injuries and then his problems with eating the way he did 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.
“I will say something about Anderson – if he had been a professional football player, he could have been the best in the world.”
Bradley Ormesher – The TimesAnderson sometimes courted controversy on the pitch[/caption]
Bradley Ormesher – The TimesHe performed a gun celebration after scoring against Spurs in 2011[/caption]
Anderson left United in 2015 with four Premier League titles
Anderson is now assistant manager at Turkish side Adana Demirspor
In 2010 Anderson was hospitalised in a horror car crash in Portugal.
He was dragged from his Audi R8 unconscious before it exploded, but somehow miraculously escaped with just minor injuries.
A year later Anderson then courted controversy when he celebrated a rare strike with a gun celebration.
His 76th minute effort in United’s 3-0 home win against Tottenham saw Anderson do a little dance before pointing his fingers in the shape of pistols.
It was around this time that former United coach Mike Clegg left the club as well.
And he previously revealed that Anderson’s laziness saw Fergie joke about HITTING him with a STICK.
Clegg said: “You could never find a nicer person, he was popular with everyone but he was a lazy bleeder.
“He always had his excuses. I used to have a stick and I said to Fergie very early on, ‘If he carries on, I’m going to hit him with my bleeding stick’.
“Fergie couldn’t believe it. ‘Don’t you dare. He cost me a lot of money. You can’t be hitting one of my players, are you mad?’
“Then six weeks later, Fergie came to me. ‘Where’s that bloody stick? Give me that stick, I want to hit him’.
Anderson’s career stats
Gremio, 2004-2006: 31 games, 9 goals
Porto, 2006-2007: 25 games, 3 goals
Man Utd, 2007-2015: 181 games, 9 goals
Fiorentina (loan), 2013-2014: 8 games, 0 goals
Internacional, 2015-2016: 88 games, 6 goals
Coritiba, 2017: 23 games, 3 goals
Adana Demirspor, 2018-2019: 15 games, 0 goals
Brazil, 2007-2008: 8 games, 0 goals
Trophies
Brazil Serie B (Gremio)
Primeira Liga x2, Portuguese Cup, Portuguese Super Cup (Porto)
Premier League x4, Champions League, Carabao Cup, Club World Cup, Community Shield x2 (Man Utd)
Campeonato Gaucho (Internacional)
South American U17 Championship, Copa America (Brazil)
U17 World Championship Golden Ball, Golden Boy (Individual)
“Anderson was more than capable of being an absolute stormer of a player. He just needed his head knocking. He didn’t keep fit.
“He chose not to put in the work, so it’s hard to have too much sympathy for him. He was a party animal.”
Anderson’s United career eventually fizzled out in 2015, with his final two seasons resulting in a combined five league appearances.
In total he scored nine goals in 181 games while picking up three more titles.
After a brief loan at Fiorentina, he returned to Brazil with Internacional and underwent a revival with 88 games in just two years.
Anderson then spent time with Coritiba before seeing out his career in 2019 with Turkish side Adana Demirspor aged just 31, where he remains to this day as assistant manager.
But his post-playing career has also been overshadowed by off-the-field issues.
Three years ago Anderson was reportedly charged with alleged involvement in a £4.7million cryptocurrency fraud rung.
He was named by Brazilian media as one of eight people being investigated by a state prosecutor for aggravated theft, fraud and money laundering.
It is not immediately clear today if the investigation is still ongoing.
Former teammates and coaches reckon Anderson was too lazy as a player
He has since been embroiled in a series of controversies in Brazil
Anderson has been ordered to pay £45,000 in owed child maintenance fees
And Anderson denied all allegations at the time.
This week, Anderson hit headlines after being ordered to prison over his reported failure to pay child maintenance.
He is said to be father to nine children.
And Anderson was told by a family court judge he must hand over £45,000 in owed fees or else serve 30 days’ jail time in Porto Alegre, Brazil.
Former United teammates still ponder what could have been for Anderson.
Ben Foster said: “He could have been the best player in the world, I promise you.
“Everybody would say he could have been the best, but he just didn’t care at all.”
Michael Owen added: “He was very talented. Without being too general, he’d have that Brazilian attitude.
“He was a pretty relaxed guy, maybe too relaxed at times. He loved being out there with a ball at his feet.
“But he did not bother about weights or anything really. Him getting back from injuries was often a slow process.
“He was a really good player but if he had that driven mentality he could have been great.”
What we know about the ‘new’ Old Trafford
MANCHESTER UNITED plan to build a new stadium rather than redevelop Old Trafford.
The decision was made after a number of fact-finding missions to other stadiums including the Bernabeu and Nou Camp.
The cost of the project is expected to be a staggering £2billion.
A capacity of 100,000 is expected.
It is felt that a club of United’s standing should have a new state-of-the-art facility.
The new stadium will be built on land adjacent to the Red Devils’ current home.
United are looking to not only build a stadium but regenerate the area of Trafford where the ground will stand.
They plan to KEEP Old Trafford rather than demolish it, and use it as a second venue.
They will scale it down to a 30,000-seater that can then be used for the women’s team and academy matches.
That would mean the history remains with statues and the Munich clock and memorial plaque all most likely staying in their current positions.
The club consulted with 30,000 fans about what to do and believe there is roughly a 50-50 split on staying or moving.
Old Trafford has been United’s home since 1910.
The target is for completion by 2030.