Kleberson deceived by Dinho
The midfielder remembers palling around with ladies’ man Kaka as Brazil claimed World Cup glory, then going on to struggle in Manchester
What do you recall of the 2002 World Cup? Without a doubt, that was the best experience I had as a professional footballer. Before the tournament, I had a great chat with [Brazilian legend] Falcao. He could see on my face that I wasn’t feeling confident, and he said to me, “Kleberson, you have so much talent and you need to seize this opportunity.” I was so happy. I kept improving throughout that World Cup and showed what I could do against the best players at the highest level. There were plenty of special moments, but the biggest one that springs to mind is the second goal we scored in the final. The ball came from the right side of the pitch, I passed it to Rivaldo, he dummied it and then Ronaldo scored. That will be in my mind forever.
What was it like, being one of the younger members of the squad? You were only 22... Me and Kaka roomed together, two lost boys among the top dogs! At that time we had the ‘Kakazetes’ – the girls were so crazy about him. Sometimes we’d go to the balcony and wave to fans. When Kaka did that, all the girls went mental, but I appeared straight after him and the reaction was far from the same. [Laughs] How did your 2003 transfer to Manchester United come about?
Atletico Paranaense’s president travelled over to England and told me there were two clubs interested in signing me: Manchester United and Leeds. It was an easy choice, but there’s a funny story about it, too. When [Manchester] United’s interest in me was confirmed, I was with the national team in France for the FIFA Confederations Cup. I can remember it clearly:
I was with Ronaldinho and his brother/agent, Assis. Ronaldinho said, “They want to sign both of us.” I said, “OK, let’s go, then!” I was so glad that he would be coming with me. I went back to Brazil and kept negotiating with United, but then Ronaldinho fooled me and went to play in the warm weather at Barcelona! He sent me to Manchester. [Laughs] That’s a joke between us until today. He knows that he owes me one. What did you like the most about your time living in Manchester? And is there anything you would change?
What did I like the most? Definitely matchdays at Old Trafford. Manchester could be a calm city, but it transformed if United were playing. If I could have changed something, I would have asked to join another English team on loan instead of going to Turkey [to Besiktas]. I think I was improving when I left the club, but I could have showed my real potential if I’d been on loan in the same country. Honestly, though, my wife and I remember our days in Manchester with great affection and we miss them. There were things we could have done differently which would have changed things, but we were very young back then and hadn’t lived away from Brazil before.
You were unveiled with Cristiano Ronaldo – what do you remember of that day?
It’s funny now. I remember asking my agent, “Who’s that boy over there?” I never imagined what he would later become – a role model for everyone. But right away, in the first training sessions, I could see how incredibly skilled and technically good he was. Our picture together is pretty famous, isn’t it? Apart from the 2002 World Cup winner’s medal, that is one of the most valuable things I achieved in my career. I’m stood beside Cristiano, and next to one of the best managers ever, Alex Ferguson. What was Roy Keane like? Was he too harsh as a captain?
He was so determined and focused, with such a strong personality and passionate opinions. He was vital for the group, to make everyone understand what it meant to play for United. But I had to be very careful with what Keane wanted sometimes. I used to hear him saying my name and ‘Brazil’ quite a lot in the dressing room, but it was hard to understand what he was saying. I imagined it wasn’t a good thing! What are your memories of working under Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford?
I learned so much, but unfortunately my two seasons at United weren’t perfect. He tried so hard to make me comfortable there, to keep improving, but when things didn’t go to plan, Ferguson’s demands increased. Understanding him was a big challenge, and assistant Carlos Queiroz helped me a lot in the second season. Is it true you once got into a spot of bother with the manager because you parked your car in the wrong place?
Yeah. [Laughs] I used to have a driver before I bought my own car, but I’d been watching my team-mates: Rio Ferdinand used to bring a different car each day. Gary Neville was the same. I saw those flash cars and decided to buy my own. One day, I arrived at Carrington and spotted the perfect parking space. Thirty minutes later, Ferguson came down shouting at everyone because someone had taken his! I just understood the words ‘parking’ and ‘car’. I feared the worst and almost handed the car back in after that.
Ferguson later complained that you weren’t mature enough and had spent far too much time with your father-in-law in Portugal on a pre-season trip. What happened? Actually, the club gave us the option of having relatives with us. At the very last minute, my wife couldn’t go, so I invited my father-in-law and we spent most of our time together. My English wasn’t very good at the time, so I was always with him. I think it bothered Ferguson, but I didn’t know he wouldn’t like it. From that moment, there was a bit of doubt about how I could mature within the squad.
Did joining United to replace Chelsea-bound Juan Sebastian Veron put extra pressure on your shoulders?
Veron also struggled in England a bit. Coming from South America, we were always used to improvising some movements on the pitch, but that isn’t really appreciated in England. I’m aware that they were expecting much more than I showed, though. I think the expectations on me were higher than on Veron, I have to say.
What are you up to these days?
I’m the head coach of an under-12 team and the assistant manager of Philadelphia Union’s U19s, having last year been assistant coach of the U16s team.