In years to come, when Manchester United fans think of Casemiro – who has today confirmed he will leave the club at the end of the season – they will surely do so with a warm smile.
We don't yet know how his career at Old Trafford will conclude, exactly, because there are still 16 games left and some big tests remaining. But we do know how Casemiro has conducted his time at United thus far, across 146 games, and that's why most Reds hold the Brazilian in high regard.
Indeed, in the game prior to today's announcement – Saturday's 2-0 win over Manchester City – we saw much of the best of Casemiro: thrilling tackles, razor-sharp anticipation and clever, economic passing.
After being substituted, he could be seen jumping onto Michael Carrick's back near the touchline, showing just how much he still wants to win, and still wants to compete, just a month before his 34th birthday.
A true modern midfield great, he arrived in the summer of 2022 to great fanfare, shortly after claiming his fifth Champions League medal in Real Madrid's 1-0 victory over Liverpool in Paris.
United fans were thrilled at the news, and rejoiced when he was unveiled on the Old Trafford pitch shortly before a 2-1 victory against Liverpool, safe in the knowledge that the club had procured one of the game's outstanding defensive midfielders. But some voices in the media were more critical of the transfer, citing the Brazilian's age (30) and the 500-plus games Casemiro had already played in professional football.
Liverpool legend Graeme Souness labelled him a 'Steady Eddie' and said “you would never describe him as a great player”
. But once Casemiro established himself in the United team, there were few who agreed with that assessment.
As soon as Casemiro found his feet, we saw that he was not just a steady ‘defensive’ midfielder, but so much more. He was great in both boxes, particularly at set-pieces, where his heading came to the fore. He showed an otherworldly sense of timing when it came to reading how the game would unfold. Perhaps the biggest surprise, to me, at least, was his passing range, which always served his team-mates and often showed great bravery and authority. And who can forget those – I'm searching for the right description here – backheeled, round-the-corner flicks?
But on reflection, when you think of the ups and downs the player has experienced here, I think the greatest thing about Casemiro has been his competitive hunger.
We've seen a fair few superstars rock up to Old Trafford since Sir Alex Ferguson retired, and not all of them have given the impression of being desperate to win, to fight. Of being desperate to exert a big influence on the team, particularly in times of strife.
But Casemiro's desire to earn his place in the starting XI, to influence games and deliver for United's fans, has never been up for much debate.
Occasionally that competitive enthusiasm spilled over into bookings and the odd red card, but you could say the same of Keane and Scholes. Casemiro's aggression and bite was always born out of a desire to do well for his team-mates and the fans – something he spoke about often during interviews – and a desire to test himself in the crunch moments.
And so often he produced his best when those moments came. His first United goal, for example, came in the dying seconds at Chelsea, when he rose to power home Luke Shaw's cross and rescue a vital point. At Wembley, a few months later, he headed us into the lead against Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup final, setting the platform for our first trophy win in six years. At the end of that season, his first in Red, he casually sauntered forward at Bournemouth and delivered a bicycle kick – the only goal of the game – which meant we needed just one point from our last two games to qualify for the Champions League.
There were challenging periods, of course. His sophomore season was marred by injury, and a tweak to the midfield set-up by Ten Hag left Casemiro with increasingly more work to do and more ground to cover, and less support from the two more advanced midfielders. Injuries in defence meant he also spent a good chunk of the second half of the campaign deputising at centre-back. He would then suffer the disappointment of missing the season's major high point – the 2-1 victory over Manchester City in the FA Cup final.
But as I write these words, almost 20 months on, Casemiro has just delivered a near-flawless individual performance in that derby win over Pep Guardiola's Manchester City, who are widely regarded as one of the best teams in Europe. The football has most definitely not left Casemiro, though perhaps it's inevitable that players in their thirties will always suffer from extra scrutiny on their age and physical capabilities.
After that difficult second season, Casemiro didn't give up and look for a move to an easier league. Instead, he forced his way back into the starting XI following the departure of Ten Hag and the arrival of Ruben Amorim, and played 42 games in all competitions across 2024/25, drawing particular praise from the Portuguese head coach.
“He wasn’t playing [earlier in the season] because I understood in the moment that he was not the best option to the way we want to play,”
said Amorim. “But he continued to work. I look at my players in the same way: if they improve what we ask, they have the opportunity. If they play well, they continue to play. That was the situation of Casemiro. The credit is all to the player.”
Casemiro's desire was doubly impressive because 2024/25 was a hugely difficult season for the club, which ended with a 15th-placed league finish and a deflating Europa League final loss to Tottenham Hotspur in Bilbao. But the player's love for the club and whatever challenge lay in front of him and the team was clear.
At 4-2 down against Lyon in the crucial quarter-final second leg, United's entire season seemed to be going under. But in the final eight minutes, Casemiro won a penalty and then set up goals for Kobbie Mainoo and Harry Maguire to complete one of the greatest comebacks in Old Trafford's long and storied history. Perhaps only someone of such huge experience and cliff-edge composure could have delivered so effectively in those desperate moments.
There was another memorable performance in the Manchester derby that same month. In a largely unforgettable 0-0 draw, Casemiro made 11 tackles – the most recorded by a United player in the Premier League for 16 years.
The player's resurgence has continued into 2025/26 too. He's played in 20 of our 22 league games so far (missing two to suspension), starting 19. In United's best moments – the wins against Liverpool, Brighton and City – the player has been a vital cog in the wheel. Or “the cement between the stones,”
as former manager Erik ten Hag once called him.
With Champions League football still up for grabs, there's much remaining on the last few months of Casemiro's final United season, and it's clear that the player will only be thinking about helping his team-mates and his club achieve what is necessary. On delivering what the fans want to see.
For a player with enough silverware to open a jewellery shop in the Arndale, Casemiro has always seemed refreshingly humble, committed and free from pretension. And whenever there's been a chance to smile, he has embraced it. And when the dust has settled on his time at United, and we reflect on the way he has represented our club, I think most supporters will do the same thing.