As we asked you guys what you’d like us to write about, Tribuna.com user Anderson came up with an interesting idea.
"Talk about Anderson’s time at Porto and his rich spell at United," he suggested in the comments and we thought, "sure, why not?"
Anderson was definitely an entertaining player to watch and brought that something special with his Brazilian samba magic. Here is how he fared in his career.
Emergence at FC Porto
Anderson was signed by FC Porto from Gremio after impressing as a youngster for Brazil. He excelled for his country in the 2005 U-17 FIFA World Cup, where he played an influential role in their route to the final. The attacking midfielder scored 2 goals and assisted many more to impress the Portuguese side. He won the prestigious Golden Boy award for excelling in the competition despite Brazil coming up short in the final to Mexico.
At Porto, Anderson had a few issues with injuries initially. He only played 21 games for them in his one and only season, scoring 3 goals and assisting 5 as well. The Brazilian’s creativity and unique style caught the eye of Sir Alex Ferguson.
He was signed alongside Nani in a combined deal as United paid €30 million for his services. The Brazilian’s period at Porto was shortlived but he sparked up the Portuguese Liga NOS with his feisty style.
Sir Alex’s secret weapon
As soon as he arrived, Anderson realized the level of competition he needed to fight against at United. Going toe-to-toe with the likes of Paul Scholes, Michael Carrick, Darren Fletcher and Owen Hargreaves in midfield was a formidable challenge even for the wonderkid.
However, the wacky midfielder brought that something different to the plate right from the get-go. Sir Alex realized that he was a wild character and started to use him accordingly, shifting him from an attacking midfielder to more of a box-to-box central midfielder.
Anderson was rotated alongside the other players, often used as an impactful substitute to add more energy to the Red Devils. His physicality, burst of acceleration both helped to trouble midfielders especially as they didn’t know when to expect it.
The Brazilian proved himself as a versatile asset, playing in a number of positions in midfield. His infamous moment in his debut season came when he coolly slotted in his crucial penalty in the 2008 Champions League final shootout.
However, injuries and inconsistency withheld Anderson from finding his utmost potential at United. He kept on being rotated or benched, but Sir Alex did love him for his cheerful character. The Brazilian lit up the dressing room with his happy vibes and was friends with just about anyone.
He made 181 appearances for United, scoring 9 goals and assisting 21 and producing memorable moments. However, once Sir Alex left, his chapter at the club was also closed.
Fitness issues leading to early retirement
Anderson was loaned out to Serie A side Fiorentina in 2014, but only made a handful of appearances for them. He was then sold to Brazilian club Internacional in 2015. However, that didn’t prove to be beneficial at all.
The Brazilian struggled to match up to the intensity of the league and different surroundings. Fan pressure, criticism, all of this piled up and didn’t allow him to succeed. After a short loan spell at Coritiba, he moved to Turkey and joined Adana Demirspor in 2018.
But all the injuries he suffered throughout his career were beginning to catch up with him. He only made 14 appearances in his last season. Fitness issues didn’t help and missing so much action forced Anderson to take a tough decision.
He announced a premature retirement at the age of 31 in September 2019, closing curtains to an eventful career. However, he continues to work in an off-the-pitch role with the club as he plans the next move in his life journey.
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