Casemiro began his career withSão 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 ofReal Madrid, and he joined the club on loan in January 2013. He played 15 games forReal 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 theSantiago Bernabéu.
After joining Real Madrid, Casemiro initially struggled to break into the first team. He was loaned toPorto for €15 million to gain more playing time. During his time at Porto, Casemiro performed impressively and helped the team reach theChampions League quarterfinals.[4] Real Madrid decided to reacquire him for €7 million in the summer transfer window of 2015.[5] After returning to the club, Casemiro played a crucial role in Real Madrid's success, becoming one of the best defensive midfielders in the world, and winning numerous trophies including threeLa Liga titles, threeSupercopa de España, threeFIFA Club World Cups, threeUEFA Super Cups, oneCopa del Rey and five UEFA Champions Leagues. In 2022, he left Real Madrid and joinedManchester United for a transfer worth a reported €70.65m, winning theEFL Cup in his first season and theFA Cup the following season.[6]
Casemiro made hisSérie A debut on 25 July 2010, in an away loss againstSantos. He scored his first goal as a professional on 15 August, helping to a 2–2 draw withCruzeiro.[10]
On 31 January 2013, Casemiro wasloaned toReal Madrid in Spain, being assigned tothe B-team inSegunda División.[13] He played his first game in the competition on 16 February, starting in a 1–3 defeat atSabadell.[14] Casemiro made hisLa Liga debut on 20 April, playing the full 90 minutes in a 3–1 home win overReal Betis.[15] On 2 June, he scored his first goal in Europe, opening the reserves' 4–0 win overAlcorcón at theAlfredo Di Stéfano Stadium.[16] 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.[17][18][19]
Casemiro was loaned toPorto on 19 July 2014 in aseason-long loan.[20] He totalled 41 games overall for the Portuguese club, scoring four goals,[21] including afree kick on 10 March 2015 in a 4–0 home win overBasel in the last 16 of theUEFA Champions League.[22]
On 5 June 2015, Casemiro returned to Real Madrid who activated his buyback clause,[23] and two months later his contract was extended until 2021.[24] On 13 March 2016, he scored his first competitive goal for theMerengues, heading home an 89th-minutecorner kick byJesé in a 2–1 victory atLas Palmas.[25] After being mostly a reserve player underRafael Benítez, Casemiro became first-choice under his successorZinedine Zidane,[26] and contributed with 11 appearances inthat season's Champions League. In thefinal againstAtlético Madrid, he featured the full 120 minutes, as Real Madrid won their 11th title in apenalty shoot-out after a 1–1 draw.[27]
Casemiro scored four goals in 25 matches in the2016–17 La Liga, helping his team win the league title for the first time in five years.[28][29] He then scored a long-range strike in theChampions League final againstJuventus, helping his team to a 4–1 victory.[30] He again found the net on 8 August, putting his team ahead in a 2–1 victory overManchester United in the2017 UEFA Super Cup.[31]
During the2017–18 Champions League, Casemiro made 12 appearances while scoring one goal,[32] as Madrid won their third consecutive and 13th overall title in the competition.[33] He was a regular starter during the season, as Real Madrid won the2019–20 La Liga.[34] In August 2021, he extended his contract until June 2025.[35] Casemiro was a starter for Real Madrid when they won their14th Champions League title. He was named Man of the Match, as Real Madrid defeatedEintracht Frankfurt 2–0 for the2022 Super Cup.[36]
On 19 August 2022, Real Madrid and Manchester United announced that they had reached an agreement for the transfer of Casemiro.[37][38] Three days later, he signed a four-year contract with the English club, with an option for an additional year's extension.[39] The deal was reportedly worth £60 million, plus £10 million in add-ons.[40] 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 ofBrentford, saying "Tell them I’ll fix it."[41] He made his debut for the club when he came on as a substitute in aPremier League win away atSouthampton on 27 August.[42] On 22 October, he scored his first Premier League goal, a last minute equaliser with a header in a 1–1 away draw againstChelsea.[43]
Casemiro was highly praised by his managerErik 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."[44] On 4 February, Casemiro was given ared card for violent conduct during a match againstCrystal Palace for putting his hands around the neck ofWill Hughes during a confrontation which also sawAntony andJeffrey Schlupp receive yellow cards. This resulted in a three-match domestic ban; United would go on to win the match 2–1.[45] On 26 February, Man Utd won theEFL Cup, his first trophy at the club and United's first trophy since2017, with Casemiro scoring the opening goal in the 33rd minute of the 2–0 victory againstNewcastle United in thefinal. His performance also earned him theAlan Hardaker Trophy. On 12 March, he was given a red card for a tackle onCarlos Alcaraz in a match against Southampton where refereeAnthony Taylor overturned his initial yellow card decision for a straight red card after a VAR review, and received a four match suspension; Man Utd would go on to draw the match 0–0.[46] Casemiro would be the only player of the2022–23 Premier League to receive 2 red cards, and the only Manchester United player to receive a red card for that season.[47]
On 20 September 2023, Casemiro scored a brace in a 4–3 defeat againstBayern Munich on his 100th appearance in European competitions, in the opening match of the2023–24 Champions League season.[48]
On 1 September 2024, in a home game againstLiverpool, Casemiro made two mistakes in the first half, both of which resulted in opposition goals. He was withdrawn at half time and strongly criticised by commentators for his poor performance.[49][50] On 27 October, he scored his first goal of the 2024–25 season againstWest Ham as his team lost 2–1 before head coachErik ten Hag was sacked less than 24 hours after the result.[51][52]
On 22 January 2026, Manchester United announced that Casemiro would depart from the club at the end of the2025–26 season, having decided against renewing his contract.[53][54]
Casemiro made his debut for theBrazil senior team on 14 September 2011, in a 0–0 draw againstArgentina, aged 19.[57] He was named by managerDunga in the Brazilian squad for the2015 Copa América, but did not play any matches in the quarter-final exit in Chile.[58]
On 5 May 2016, Casemiro was named among the 23-man list for theCopa América Centenario to be held in the United States.[59]
In May 2018, Casemiro was selected by managerTite for the2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.[60] He made his debut in the competition on 17 June, playing 60 minutes in a 1–1 group stage draw toSwitzerland.[61]
In May 2019, Casemiro was included in Brazil's 23-man squad for the2019 Copa América on home soil.[62] In the final group game at theArena Corinthians againstPeru, 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.[63] He started in Brazil's 3–1 victory over Peru in the2019 Copa América Final on 7 July, at theMaracanã Stadium.[64]
Casemiro was named to the2021 Copa América squad on 9 June 2021.[65] In Brazil's third group match on 23 June, he scored the match–winning goal following aNeymar corner in injury time, to help his team defeatColombia 2–1.[66] On 10 July, he started in his nation's 1–0 defeat to rivals Argentina in thefinal.[67]
On 7 November 2022, Casemiro was named in the squad for the2022 World Cup in Qatar.[68] On 28 November, he scored the winning goal in the second group match against Switzerland.[69] Brazil were eliminated byCroatia 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.[70]
On 26 May 2025, newly appointed Brazil managerCarlo Ancelotti announced the squad forWorld Cup qualifiers againstEcuador andParaguay, including Casemiro, marking the midfielder's return to the national team after a two-year absence.[71][72]
Casemiro mainly plays as adefensive midfielder,[73] although he has also been deployed in anchor man role in thecentre of the pitch,[74][75] or even as acentre-back on occasion.[76] He is an intelligent, physically strong, mobile, aggressive, and hard-tackling midfielder, with an extremely high work-rate and good technical ability.[77][75][78][79] While Casemiro 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 thepenalty 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.[75][80][81][82][83][84] Moreover, his quick reactions, as well as his excellent positional sense, ability to read the game, and good anticipation, enable him to excel in aholding midfield role in front of the defence, by cutting out counter-attacks and shielding the back-line.[75][77][85][86][87]
Often described as a "destroyer" in the media,[88] Casemiro has drawn praise from pundits for his energetic and combative style of play,[89][90][91] as well as his tactical awareness and abilities as a ball winner, which enable him to cover ground, track back, and press opponents.[80][84][86][92][93][94] His tenacity on the pitch, exemplified by his fierce challenges and stamina,[95] have ledMarca to nickname him "The Tank."[96] In addition to his footballing abilities, Casemiro also stands out for his competitive spirit, mentality, consistency, and determination on the pitch.[77][97] 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.[98] Casemiro's playing style has drawn comparisons with that of former Real Madrid defensive midfielderClaude Makélélé,[77] as well as compatriotToninho Cerezo.[82]
^"Relatório da diretoria 2013" [Directorial report 2013](PDF) (in Portuguese). São Paulo FC. 18 April 2014. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on 16 January 2023. Retrieved9 June 2015.
^abGatto, Riccardo (31 December 2011)."San Paolo, Cunha: "Casemiro? Al momento..."" [San Paolo, Cunha: "Casemiro? At the moment..."] (in Italian). tuttomercatoweb.com. Retrieved29 September 2019.
^"Players with most Champions League titles: Benzema, Carvajal and Modrić equal Cristiano Ronaldo's record". UEFA. 28 May 2022. Retrieved30 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.
.jpg)
