Manchester United's new signing Casemiro has requested dossiers of information on match officials ahead of kick-off that reveal details about their life outside of football.
The Brazilian midfielder is set to make his debut this weekend against Southampton after the player was granted a work permit. The 30-year-old will add a level of grit and steel to United's midfield as the former Real Madrid player brings a winning mentality to Old Trafford that saw him lift five Champions League trophies.
As a defensive midfielder, making tackles and committing fouls is an essential side of the game, and astonishingly, in over 450 appearances throughout his career – Casemiro has never been shown a straight red card (as per Transfermarkt ). In fact, the player has only been sent off twice in his entire career, after receiving two yellow cards in a match.
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The reason behind Casemiro's remarkable red card record might be down to the player's pre-match preparation. Bruno dos Anjos, friend and former teammate of the midfielder, revealed to The Telegraph that the new United signing regularly commissions documents on referees, including where they are from, their management style and whether they have a job outside of football.
His ex-teammate said: "He plays in a role where you talk a lot to the referees and are more likely to receive a card. So it’s important that they understand what he says and that he’s able to argue with them if necessary as well. It may be helpful in certain situations."
In the same article, Casemiro's former Sao Paulo coach Bruno Petri revealed the time that the player was upset over celebratory pizzas that his side ordered in.
Petri said: "Before facing Barcelona, we had beaten Schalke 04 in the semi-finals and decided to order some pizzas for the team to celebrate. But then, after losing in the final, Casemiro was really mad on our flight back home.
"Even as frustrated as I was as a manager, I thought he was overreacting a little bit, especially for a kid of his age. So I asked him, ‘Why do you look so upset, Casemiro?’ And he explained, ‘I don’t think we should have bought pizza before the final.’ I was speechless, but that showed how much he cared about the team, despite being so young."
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