*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 22:00, 19 May 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 14:46, 18 October 2023 (UTC)
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. 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.[9] Real Madrid decided to reacquire him for €7.00m in the summer transfer window of 2015.[10] After returning to the club, Casemiro played a crucial role in Real Madrid's success, winning 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, he left Real Madrid and joined
Manchester United for a transfer worth a reported €70.65m, winning the
EFL Cup in his first season.[11]
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.[15]
On 31 January 2013 Casemiro was
loaned to
Real Madrid in Spain, being assigned to
the B-team in
Segunda División.[18] He played his first game in the competition on 16 February, starting in a 1–3 defeat at
Sabadell.[19] Casemiro made his
La Liga debut on 20 April, playing the full 90 minutes in a 3–1 home win over
Real Betis.[20] On 2 June, he scored his first goal in Europe, opening the reserves' 4–0 win over
Alcorcón at the
Alfredo Di Stéfano Stadium.[21] 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.[22][23][24]
Casemiro was loaned to
Porto on 19 July 2014 in a
season-long loan.[25] He totalled 41 games overall for the Portuguese club, scoring four goals,[26] 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.[27]
2015–2016: Becoming first-choice
On 5 June 2015, Casemiro returned to Real Madrid who activated his buyback clause,[28] and two months later his contract was extended until 2021.[29] 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.[30] After being mostly a reserve player under
Rafael Benítez, Casemiro became first-choice under his successor
Zinedine Zidane,[31] and contributed with 11 appearances in
that season's Champions League. 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.[32]
2016–2022: Prolific success
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.[33][34] He then scored a long-range strike in the
Champions League final against
Juventus, helping his team to a 4–1 victory.[35] 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.[36]
During the
2017–18 Champions League, Casemiro made 12 appearances while scoring one goal,[37] as Madrid won their third consecutive and 13th overall title in the competition.[38] He was a regular starter during the season, as Real Madrid won the
2019–20 La Liga.[39] In August 2021, he extended his contract until June 2025.[40] Casemiro was a starter for Real Madrid when they won their
14th Champions League title. Casemiro was named Man of the Match, as Real Madrid defeated
Eintracht Frankfurt 2–0 for the
2022 Super Cup.[41]
Manchester United
On 19 August 2022, Real Madrid and Manchester United announced that they had reached an agreement for the transfer of Casemiro.[42][43] Three days later, he signed a four-year contract with the English club, with an option for an additional year's extension.[44] The deal was reportedly worth £60 million, plus £10 million in add-ons.[45] Casemiro was later reported as having previously told his agent to relay a message to Manchester United that he would bring them back into form after their 4–0 defeat at the hands of
Brentford, saying "Tell them I’ll fix it."[46] He made his debut for the club when he came on as a substitute in a
Premier League win away at
Southampton on 27 August.[47] On 22 October, he scored his first Premier League goal from a header in the 94th minute in a 1–1 away draw against
Chelsea.[48]
Casemiro was highly praised by his manager
Erik ten Hag in January, who commented: "Casemiro is magnificent. In front of the back line, always taking good positions, in and out of position. And he can deal with the ball, he can give the right pass. So, he can accelerate the game and if necessary, he can score."[49] On 4 February, Casemiro was given a
red card for violent conduct during a match against
Crystal Palace for putting his hands around the neck of
Will Hughes during a confrontation which also saw
Antony and
Jeffrey Schlupp receive yellow cards. This resulted in a three-match domestic ban; United would go on to win the match 2–1.[50] On 26 February, Man Utd won the
EFL Cup, Casemiro's first trophy at the club and United's first trophy since
2017, with Casemiro scoring the opening goal in the 33rd minute of the 2–0 victory against
Newcastle United in the
final. His performance also earned him the
Alan Hardaker Trophy. On 12 March, Casemiro was given a red card for a tackle on
Carlos Alcaraz in a match against Southampton where referee
Anthony Taylor overturned his initial yellow card decision for a straight red card after a VAR review, and Casemiro received a four match suspension; Man Utd would go on to draw the match 0–0.[51] Casemiro would be the only player of the
2022–23 Premier League to receive 2 red cards, and the only Man Utd player to receive a red card for that season.[52]
On 20 September 2023, he scored a brace in a 4–3 defeat against
Bayern Munich on his 100th appearance in European competitions, in the opening match of the
2023–24 Champions League season.[53]
Casemiro made his debut for the
Brazil senior team on 14 September 2011, in a 0–0 draw against
Argentina, aged 19.[56] He was named by manager
Dunga in the Brazilian squad for the
2015 Copa América, but did not play any matches in the quarter-final exit in Chile.[57]
On 5 May 2016, he was named among the 23-man list for the
Copa América Centenario to be held in the United States.[58]
In May 2018, Casemiro was selected by manager
Tite for the
2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.[59] He made his debut in the competition on 17 June, playing 60 minutes in a 1–1 group stage draw to
Switzerland.[60]
In May 2019, he was included in Brazil's 23-man squad for the
2019 Copa América on home soil.[61] In the final group game at the
Arena Corinthians against
Peru, he scored his first international goal to open a 5–0 victory, but was also sent off for two yellow cards and suspended from the next match.[62] He started in Brazil's 3–1 victory over Peru in the
2019 Copa América Final on 7 July, at the
Maracanã Stadium.[63]
He was named to the
2021 Copa América squad on 9 June 2021.[64] In Brazil's third group match on 23 June, he scored the match–winning goal following a
Neymar corner in injury time, to help his team defeat
Colombia 2–1.[65] On 10 July, he started in his nation's 1–0 defeat to rivals Argentina in the
final.[66]
On 7 November 2022, Casemiro was named in the squad for the
2022 World Cup in Qatar.[67] On 28 November, he scored the winning goal in the second group match against Switzerland.[68] Brazil were eliminated by
Croatia in the quarter-finals on 9 December, following a 4–2 penalty shoot-out loss after a 1–1 draw following extra-time, although Casemiro was able to net his spot kick.[69]
Style of play
Casemiro mainly plays as a
defensive midfielder,[70] although he has also been deployed in anchor man role in the
centre of the pitch,[71][72] or even as a
centre-back on occasion.[73] Casemiro is an intelligent, physically strong, mobile, aggressive, and hard-
tackling midfielder, with an extremely high work-rate and good technical ability.[74][72][75][76] While he is mainly known for his ability to provide balance to his teams by supporting his more offensive-minded teammates defensively, and distributing the ball to them accurately after winning back possession, he is also a well-rounded midfielder, who possesses a powerful shot from outside the
penalty area, and reliable distribution, as well as an ability to get forward with his runs off the ball, or start attacks with his passing. These characteristics also enable him to contribute offensively, or even score goals, in addition to breaking up plays.[72][77][78][79][80][81] Moreover, his quick reactions, as well as his excellent positional sense, ability to read the game, and good anticipation, enable him to excel in a
holding midfield role in front of the defence, by cutting out counter-attacks and shielding the back-line.[72][74][82][83][84]
Often described as a "destroyer" in the media,[85] he has drawn praise from pundits for his energetic and combative style of play,[86][87][88] as well as his tactical awareness and abilities as a ball winner, which enable him to cover ground, track back, and press opponents.[77][81][83][89][90][91] His tenacity on the pitch, exemplified by his fierce challenges and stamina,[92] have led Marca to nickname him "The Tank."[93] In addition to his footballing abilities, he also stands out for his competitive spirit, mentality, consistency, and determination on the pitch.[74][94] Despite maintaining a good disciplinary record, he has, however, also come into criticism in the media at times over his excessively aggressive challenges on the pitch.[95] Casemiro's playing style has drawn comparisons with that of former Real Madrid defensive midfielder
Claude Makélélé,[74] as well as compatriot
Toninho Cerezo.[79]
Club ownership
On 4 June 2024, it was announced that Casemiro would be investing in Spanish lower-league club
Marbella.[96][97]
Career statistics
Club
As of match played 19 May 2024
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
^
abGatto, Riccardo (31 December 2011).
"San Paolo, Cunha: "Casemiro? Al momento..."" [San Paolo, Cunha: "Casemiro? At the moment..."] (in Italian). tuttomercatoweb.com. Retrieved 29 September 2019.
^"Players with most Champions League titles: Benzema, Carvajal and Modrić equal Cristiano Ronaldo's record". UEFA. 28 May 2022. Retrieved 30 December 2022. Kroos and Casemiro actually have five UEFA Champions League titles to their name but took part in only four finals, missing out in 2013 and 2014 respectively, while Bale, Isco and Marcelo have also appeared in four final wins having remained on the bench for the 2022 decider.