Anderson Luís de Abreu Oliveira (born 13 April 1988), best known as Anderson, is a Brazilian footballer who currently plays as a midfielder for Manchester United and the Brazil national team.
Anderson began his career with Grêmio, joining the youth team before rising through the ranks. His goal against Náutico during the 2005 play-offs gained Grêmio promotion to the Brazilian Série A. Before the start of the 2005–06 season, Anderson moved to Porto, gaining first team status during his two seasons with them. There, he won the Portuguese Liga twice, along with the Portuguese Cup and SuperCup during 2005–06. He moved to Manchester United before the 2007–08 season, and has won the Premier League three times, the 2007–08 UEFA Champions League and the League Cup.
Anderson made his Brazil debut in 2007 during the 2007 Copa América, which they went on to win. He also played for the Brazil Olympic football team during the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, helping them secure the Bronze medal.
On 30 May 2007, the Manchester United website confirmed that the club had agreed in principle to sign Anderson from Porto for an undisclosed fee. The initial application for a work permit for Anderson was rejected on the ground that he did not have enough international caps. United subsequently argued that only his youth had prevented him from acquiring more caps and that, given his exceptional talent and the size of the transfer fee, clearance was justified. On 29 June 2007, he was granted a work permit to play in the United Kingdom, and the move was completed on 2 July, with Anderson signing a five-year contract to become United's second Brazilian player after Kléberson. The transfer fee Porto announced was €30 million, which was equivalent to around £20.4 million as of May 2007.
Anderson began his career with Grêmio, joining the youth team before rising through the ranks. His goal against Náutico during the 2005 play-offs gained Grêmio promotion to the Brazilian Série A. Before the start of the 2005–06 season, Anderson moved to Porto, gaining first team status during his two seasons with them. There, he won the Portuguese Liga twice, along with the Portuguese Cup and SuperCup during 2005–06. He moved to Manchester United before the 2007–08 season, and has won the Premier League three times, the 2007–08 UEFA Champions League and the League Cup.
Anderson made his Brazil debut in 2007 during the 2007 Copa América, which they went on to win. He also played for the Brazil Olympic football team during the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, helping them secure the Bronze medal.
On 30 May 2007, the Manchester United website confirmed that the club had agreed in principle to sign Anderson from Porto for an undisclosed fee. The initial application for a work permit for Anderson was rejected on the ground that he did not have enough international caps. United subsequently argued that only his youth had prevented him from acquiring more caps and that, given his exceptional talent and the size of the transfer fee, clearance was justified. On 29 June 2007, he was granted a work permit to play in the United Kingdom, and the move was completed on 2 July, with Anderson signing a five-year contract to become United's second Brazilian player after Kléberson. The transfer fee Porto announced was €30 million, which was equivalent to around £20.4 million as of May 2007.
Anderson was friends with Portuguese-speaking team-mates, Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani prior to joining the club. He was handed the number 8 shirt previously worn by Wayne Rooney (who changed to number 10) and made his Manchester United debut on 3 August 2007, playing 45 minutes of a pre-season friendly against Doncaster Rovers, which United won 2–0.
On 1 September 2007, Anderson made his competitive debut for United against Sunderland, before he was substituted at half time and replaced by Louis Saha, who eventually got the winner. Anderson made his Champions League debut against Sporting CP in a 1–0 away win on 19 September 2007, coming on as a substitute for Ryan Giggs in the 76th minute. On 26 September 2007, Anderson made his League Cup debut, playing the full 90 minutes in a 2–0 loss to Coventry City, in a team consisting almost entirely of youth and reserve team players.
