Anderson (footballer, born 1988)

Anderson Luís de Abreu Oliveira (born 13 April 1988), generally known simply as Anderson, is a Brazilian former midfielder from Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul. A left-footed, energetic central player, he became prominent as a teenager at Grêmio before moving to Europe and spending eight seasons with Manchester United. His career included major domestic and international trophies with United, a UEFA Champions League final appearance, and senior Brazil participation at the 2007 Copa América and 2008 Olympic tournament. He entered Grêmio's first team in 2004, while still 16, and played during a difficult period that ended with the club's promotion from Brazil's Série B in 2005. Porto signed him in January 2006. His first Portuguese season was disrupted by a serious knee injury, but he returned to contribute to Porto's 2006–07 Primeira Liga title. In May 2007 Manchester United agreed a transfer reported at about £20 million, making him one of Sir Alex Ferguson's youthful additions following the departures of established midfielders. At United, Anderson made his competitive debut against Sunderland in August 2007. Initially used in advanced and wide midfield roles, he later most often operated centrally. United won the Premier League in each of his first three seasons, 2007–08, 2008–09 and 2009–10, and again in 2010–11 and 2012–13. He was part of the side that beat Chelsea in Moscow in the 2008 Champions League final: after extra time he scored United's sixth penalty in the shoot-out, before Nicolas Anelka's attempt was saved. United also won the 2008 FIFA Club World Cup and League Cups in 2009 and 2010 during his time there. After losing a regular place, he joined Fiorentina on loan in February 2014. He left United permanently in 2015 and returned to Internacional, where he won the Campeonato Gaúcho in 2015 and 2016. Subsequent spells included Coritiba in Brazil and Adana Demirspor in Turkey. His United record was 181 appearances and nine goals in all competitions, a total reflecting both his long service and repeated injury problems. For Brazil, Anderson won the 2005 FIFA Under-17 World Championship and received the tournament's Golden Ball. At senior level, he won the 2007 Copa América and collected eight caps. He was also selected for Brazil's 2008 Olympic squad in Beijing, which took bronze after defeating Belgium in the third-place match. He announced his retirement from professional football in September 2019, ending a career that began unusually early.