Ranking Man Utd’s 10 Premier League Brazilians from worst to best
Manchester United have signed players from all across the world – but they’ve not had the best of luck with players from Brazil.
Only 10 players from the South American country have played for the club in the Premier League and they haven’t all been success stories.
We’ve ranked every Brazilian player to play for United from worst to best as rumours of Matheus Cunha arriving at Old Trafford intensify.
10. Rodrigo Possebon
Possesbon was a highly-rated prospect when he joined United in 2008 but never really recovered from a shocking Emmanuel Pogatetz tackle in a League Cup game.
He made just eight senior appearances during his two-and-a-half years at Old Trafford and returned to his native Brazil with Santos in 2010.
9. Antony
Signed from Ajax for north of £80million in 2022, Antony is a strong candidate for one of the worst signings in Premier League history.
Wanted by Erik ten Hag, the winger never threatened to look capable of matching his price tag with a string of ineffective performances.
It’s now accepted by United insiders that they drastically overpaid for the Brazilian, who was shunted on loan to Real Betis in 2025 and will surely be sold in the summer.
8. Kleberson
A World Cup winner in 2002, Kleberson arrived at United from Atletico Paranaense 12 months later amid interest from several big European clubs.
After suffering an injury in only his second outing for the club, the midfielder went on to make another 28 appearances in two seasons before being offloaded to Besiktas.
“At Man United I had tough moments a lot of the time, I got a lot of injuries and struggled a lot,” Klberson told the Manchester Evening News in 2019.
“It was a difficult time, and when you see a lot of evaluation from your performance at top teams the criticism can be very high, particularly at Man United.”
READ: The 4 players Man Utd signed along with Cristiano Ronaldo in 2003
7. Alex Telles
There was quite a bit of excitement around Telles when he arrived at Old Trafford from Porto in October 2020, but he never delivered on the hype.
Telles had performed well in Portugal, helping his club to the latter stages of the Champions League and notching up assist after assist in the Primeira Liga.
But his arrival at United coincided with a remarkable upturn in the form of Luke Shaw.
Even since Shaw dropped off again following the Euros in 2021, though, Telles wasn’t able to cement his position as first-choice left-back.
6. Andreas Pereira
Belgium-born Brazilian Pereira, who is now a solid performer at Fulham, went to United at the age of 16, making his first-team debut in the infamous 4–0 defeat to MK Dons in 2014.
The midfielder spent two seasons on loan in La Liga at Granada and Valencia before returning to Old Trafford in 2018 and for a while looked like he might break through.
He even made a Brazil debut in August 2018.
But some poor performances proved he was not quite up to United’s level and several loan spells followed.
5. Casemiro
Casimiro’s debut season filled United fans with hope, but his decline since then has been sharp.
While the Brazilian is undoubtedly one of the finest holding midfielders of his generation, it’s safe to say that he’s no longer at his peak.
A mid-table position here sounds about right.
4. Fabio
Fabio joined United from Fluminense in 2008 alongside twin brother Rafael, and the pair were tipped as the long-term successors to Gary Neville and Patrice Evra.
Despite being regarded as the brighter prospect, Fabio was unable to establish himself as a first-team regular due to Evra’s consistency at left-back.
The Brazilian still made over 50 appearances for the club, including the 2011 Champions League final against Barcelona, but was sold to Cardiff City in 2014.
3. Fred
Depending on who you ask, Fred was probably a little bit overpriced at £52million but was perfectly serviceable, or was the living embodiment of everything that’s wrong with Manchester United.
Whatever you think, though, it has to be said that after a disastrous first year at the club, he remained professional and improved significantly.
You could even argue that United have missed the combative midfielder since selling him to Fenerbahce in 2023.
2. Anderson
Anderson was a revelation in his debut season at United and became a cult hero after scoring a penalty in the 2008 Champions League final shoot-out victory over Chelsea.
Unfortunately, that was about as good as it got for the midfielder as injury problems prevented him from fulfilling his potential at Old Trafford.
He still won four Premier League titles and a Champions League during his eight years at the club, so it could be a lot worse.
READ: A tribute to Anderson, Manchester United’s cult hero and great showman
1. Rafael
Rafael was a bigger success story than his twin brother and was able to nail down the right-back slot as his own after Gary Neville’s retirement.
The Brazilian helped the Reds to win three Premier League titles, while his passion and aggressive streak made him a fan favourite at Old Trafford.
Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement in 2013 saw him lose his place in the team under David Moyes and Louis Van Gaal, and he was sold to Lyon in 2015.
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TRY A QUIZ: Can you name every South American to play for Man Utd in the Premier League?