Casemiro

Carlos Henrique Casimiro (born 23 February 1992), known as Casemiro, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for club Manchester United and captains the Brazil national team.

Regarded as one of the best defensive midfielders in the world, he is known for his defensive abilities, ball-winning skills, and tackling.

He was included in the FIFA FIFPro World XI in 2022.

Casemiro began his career with São Paulo and progressed through the ranks.

He scored 11 goals in 111 games as a midfielder for the club.

From the age of 11 upwards, he acted as captain to its sides; he was known as "Carlão" – an augmentative form of his first name in Portuguese – early on, and would be called up for the 2009 FIFA U-17 World Cup.

Casemiro made his Série A debut on 25 July 2010, in an away loss against Santos.

He scored his first goal as a professional on 15 August, helping to a 2–2 draw with Cruzeiro.

A full international since 2011, Casemiro was in Brazil's squad at the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups, as well as four Copa América tournaments, winning the 2019 Copa América and the runners-up of the 2021 edition.

Born in São José dos Campos, São Paulo, Casemiro was a product of São Paulo's youth system.

On 7 April 2012, Casemiro scored the first goal of a 2–0 win over Mogi Mirim at the Arena Barueri in that year's Campeonato Paulista after replacing the injured Fabrício early on, but was later sent off.

São Paulo also won the Copa Sudamericana, with the player making one substitute appearance in a 5–0 home success against Universidad de Chile in the quarter-final second leg on 7 November.

In the final against Atlético Madrid, he featured the full 120 minutes, as Real Madrid won their 11th title in a penalty shoot-out after a 1–1 draw.

His defensive abilities caught the attention of Real Madrid, and he joined the club on loan in January 2013.

He played 15 games for Real Madrid Castilla during his loan spell.

Afterward, he was signed permanently by Real Madrid for a fee of £5.1 million, becoming a part of their first-team squad at the Santiago Bernabéu.

After joining Real Madrid, Casemiro initially struggled to break into the first team.

He was loaned to FC Porto for €15 million in order to gain more playing time.

During his time at Porto, Casemiro performed impressively and helped the team reach the Champions League quarterfinals.

On 31 January 2013, Casemiro was loaned to Real Madrid in Spain, being assigned to the B-team in Segunda División.

He played his first game in the competition on 16 February, starting in a 1–3 defeat at Sabadell.

Casemiro made his La Liga debut on 20 April, playing the full 90 minutes in a 3–1 home win over Real Betis.

On 2 June, he scored his first goal in Europe, opening the reserves' 4–0 win over Alcorcón at the Alfredo Di Stéfano Stadium.

Eight days after his first goal for Real Madrid Castilla, the move was made permanent for four years and a fee of R$18.738 million was paid.

Casemiro was loaned to Porto on 19 July 2014 in a season-long loan.

Real Madrid decided to reacquire him for €7.00m in the summer transfer window of 2015.

After returning to the club, Casemiro played a crucial role in Real Madrid's success, contributing to their triumphs in various competitions.

He has won numerous trophies, including three La Liga titles, three Supercopa de España, three FIFA Club World Cups, three UEFA Super Cups, one Copa del Rey, and five UEFA Champions Leagues.

In 2022, after winning his fifth Champions League title at Madrid, he joined Manchester United for a transfer worth a reported €70.65m.

His team won the EFL Cup in his first season there.

He totalled 41 games overall for the Portuguese club, scoring four goals, including a free kick on 10 March 2015 in a 4–0 home win over Basel in the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League.

On 5 June 2015, Casemiro returned to Real Madrid who activated his buyback clause, and two months later his contract was extended until 2021.

On 13 March 2016, he scored his first competitive goal for the Merengues, heading home an 89th-minute corner kick by Jesé in a 2–1 victory at Las Palmas.

After being mostly a reserve player under Rafael Benítez, Casemiro became first-choice under his successor Zinedine Zidane, and contributed with 11 appearances in that season's Champions League.

Casemiro scored four goals in 25 matches in the 2016–17 La Liga, helping his team win the league title for the first time in five years.

He then scored a long-range strike in the Champions League final against Juventus, helping his team to a 4–1 victory.

He again found the net on 8 August, putting his team ahead in a 2–1 victory over Manchester United in the 2017 UEFA Super Cup.

During the 2017–18 Champions League, Casemiro made 12 appearances while scoring one goal, as Madrid won their third consecutive and 13th overall title in the competition.

He was a regular starter during the season, as Real Madrid won the 2019–20 La Liga.

In August 2021, he extended his contract until June 2025.