Casemiro: Man Utd star once canceled family trip to Disney World after Real Madrid defeat

Casemiro has earned rave reviews from fans and pundits alike following his superb performance for Manchester United against Nottingham Forest on Tuesday night.

The Brazil international, who joined the Red Devils from Real Madrid in a deal worth £70 million in August, produced a Man of the Match display in United’s first league game since the World Cup.

Speaking after his side’s 3-0 victory, Man Utd boss Erik ten Hag said: “We needed a No. 6. It is one of the decisions we made in our analysis before the season.

“We have the perfect one, we are happy with him. He has showed a lot of leadership and football skills.

“He is keeping the team together and then he is also so important in our ball playing. Winning the ball and giving the ball to the right player, like he did with the third goal.” 

Per Statman Dave, Casemiro completed 74 passes, won five tackles, made three clearances, two interceptions and one block over the course of the 90 minutes.

He even provided an assist for his compatriot Fred, who added gloss to the scoreline in the 87th minute.

Read more: Casemiro: Man Utd fans rave about Brazilian after classy assist vs Nottingham Forest

Rio Ferdinand summed up the feelings of United fans by tweeting: “Love this guy, @Casemiro.”

The humble South American responded: “Thank you Legend. I am honoured!”

Have Real Madrid made a mistake selling Casemiro?

Real Madrid fans could be forgiven for wondering whether selling Casemiro, who is still only 30, was a mistake.

The Spanish giants allowed the Brazilian to leave because they have Federico Valverde, Eduardo Camavinga and Aurelien Tchouameni in their ranks.

But replacing a player with Casemiro’s quality, mentality and leadership skills was never going to be entirely straightforward.

MADRID, SPAIN – MAY 29: Casemiro of Real Madrid applauds supporters during celebrations at estadio Santiago Bernabeu after winning the UEFA Champions League Final on May 29, 2022 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images) Casemiro once cancelled Disney World trip after a defeat

Real Madrid knew they had a proper winner on their hands in 2019 when Casemiro cancelled a family trip to Disney World after his team were beaten 7-3 by Atletico Madrid in pre-season.

Atletico were 6-0 up by the 51st minute and while Los Blancos pulled three goals back before full-time, it was still a humiliating evening for the European heavyweights.

Casemiro wasn’t even in the squad for the match. He’d been allowed to report back to Real Madrid several weeks later than his teammates after winning the Copa America.

The midfielder purchased flights for his wife, Anna, and daughter Sara to travel to Orlando, in order to spend some quality time together in the Disneyland parks.

But after watching Atletico outclass his Real Madrid teammates, Casemiro decided that he ‘simply could not be taking time out to ride rollercoasters and posing for pictures with Mickey Mouse while the club were getting so much criticism,’ according to fascinating report by The Telegraph.

“I saw my team lose 7-3 in the preseason against Atlético Madrid, and I had decided that I couldn’t continue my vacation & go to Disney World,” he explained on radio show Onda Cero in February 2020.

“So I told my daughter that ‘Dad has a problem at work, and I have to cancel the vacation.’ That’s the reason why I returned earlier than expected.”

We’re sure Casemiro made it up to his family afterwards.

But putting his club first in that moment just goes to show what a uniquely dedicated professional he truly is.

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