The Brazilian has responded to a brutal verbal assassination by Jamie Carragher and his coach's doubts to remind everyone of his enduring class
Casemiro was so dominant in Manchester United's resounding win at Athletic Club last week that many pundits declared that they were seeing the player who dominated for Real Madrid, Zinedine Zidane's most trusted lieutenant, who won almost every trophy possible between 2013 and 2022. But if you were to ask the player himself about his display at San Mames, he would likely compare it with a more recent era.
"Analysing my career individually, my best season as a professional footballer was the first one with United," Casemiro told in February. "Not collectively in terms of trophies. Winning the Champions League with Real Madrid was the peak. But as a player I think my first season at Old Trafford was when we saw the best Casemiro."
But if you were to ask the Brazil international about the best run of form of his career, he would be within his rights to choose right now, when he has become one of the main figureheads of United's march towards the Europa League final.
Casemiro being one of the Red Devils' most talismanic players at the crunch moment of the season should not be a surprise. After all, that was what the club were looking for when they signed the serial-winner from Madrid in 2022 for £60 million ($80m) and made him one of their top earners.
And yet, given that just one year ago his career at the highest level was declared over and he was urged to consider retirement, Casemiro's resurrection feels like a footballing miracle.
GettyVerbal assassination
As Casemiro prepared for Thursday's second leg against Athletic, he may have reflected on events one year ago,, when he produced the worst game of his career in United's 4-0 thrashing by Crystal Palace on May 6, 2024. It was by no means Casemiro's only bad game of last season, but for many it was the straw that broke the camel's back, the confirmation that he was no longer able to cope with the intensity of the Premier League.
That was certainly how Jamie Carragher felt. The former Liverpool defender was already one of Casemiro's biggest critics, but after watching him disintegrate at Selhurst Park from the studio, he produced one of the most damning pieces of punditry of his career, if not in the history of Sky's 30-odd years of Premier League coverage.
"I think Casemiro should know himself tonight as an experienced player that he should only have three games left at a top level and then say I'm gonna go to the MLS or Saudi," Carragher said. "His agent or the team around him need to tell him. We're watching one of the greats of the modern time… But I always remember something when I retired, a saying I'll always remember: 'Leave the football before the football leaves you'.
"The football's left him at this top level. He needs to call it a day at this level of football and move. He should not be putting himself through this. A man of that level should not be going through what he's going through now, he needs to call it a day."
AdvertisementGetty Snubbed by three managers
Carragher's verbal assassination of Casemiro was condemned by ex-United stars Louis Saha and Rio Ferdinand, but the midfielder's two managers seemed to agree with the assessment. Erik ten Hag dropped the midfielder for the FA Cup final against Manchester City, and the decision reaped dividends as United pulled off a shock win. Brazil's then-coach Dorival Junior also chose to leave Casemiro put of his squad for the summer's Copa America.
Casemiro defended himself by pointing to the injuries he had suffered that season and called Carragher's comments "disrespectful". He also justifiably pointed out that United had suffered an untold amount of injuries and that he had been forced to play out of position at centre-back in that infamous game against Palace.
When the 2024-25 season started up there were some signs of improvement as he played in an advanced role, although things soon unravelled again when Casemiro was embarrassed once more on the pitch, this time in the 3-0 home drubbing by Liverpool, during which he was hauled off at half-time and replaced by debutant Toby Collyer.
He was left out of the line-up for United's next four league games, although he did start Ten Hag's final two matches. Interim boss Ruud van Nistelrooy also started him in all four of his games in charge, but when Ruben Amorim took over, Casemiro returned to the bench and his career at United looked to be winding down.
GettyImagesOne start in 14 games
Casemiro started just one of United's 14 games between mid-December and the start of February. He played 136 minutes out of a potential 1290 and was an unused substitute in nine matches.
When asked about Casemiro's prolonged absence, Amorim gave a typically honest but cutting response, telling : "We know that Casemiro nowadays has other qualities. He's intelligent, understands the game and knows where the ball is going to be. But we are in a league where there is a big intensity difference. Therefore I feel our team needs players with high intensity and sometimes we don't have them."
A couple of weeks later, Casemiro gave his interview to but he refrained from criticising his coach. “I have to keep doing what I am doing, with a lot of respect and politeness," he said. "Of course I would like to play more, of course. I don’t know any footballer who doesn’t want to play and help. Also, I would like to help the club at this moment. I approach things with respect for my team-mates and the technical committee. And above all I respect United, a club I am very grateful to.
"I have one-and-a-half years left on my contract and I would like to finish it here in Manchester. I am comfortable here and so is my family. They have adapted, we speak English. I’m very grateful to the fans at Old Trafford and to the club. I am happy at club level. Happy on the bench? Of course not. That’s something else."
GettyHere, there, everywhere
Casemiro is no longer on the bench, though. He had started nine out of United's previous 10 matches before earning a well-earned rest for Sunday's defeat at Brentford. He showed he can still deliver against the Premier League's top sides, playing superbly in the home draws against Manchester City and Arsenal, but the Europa League is where he has shone brightest. He was involved in three of United's goals in the manic extra-time comeback against Lyon, including winning the penalty which sparked the fightback before assisting Kobbie Mainoo and Harry Maguire.
He was then the standout performer in Bilbao. While Bruno Fernandes and Maguire grabbed most of the limelight, the former for his two goals and the latter for his sensational dribbling and cross that led to the opener, Casemiro was the most consistent performer throughout the 90 minutes.
It was he who headed in the first goal after Maguire's tricky wing play and it was he who led United's most mature European away performance in more than a decade. Casemiro ran 10.55 kiloetres during the game, more than any other United player. He bossed the midfield, he put out fires at the back and he was an ever-present in the final third. In the words of Maguire: "He was everywhere."