I see, from the excellent statistics page supplied with WordPress blogs, that a number of people have clicked on this blog whilst looking for information on Rodrigo Possebon, Manchester United’s bright’n’shiny new Brazilian-Italian midfielder. There is a scarcity of information on this talented and very promising young midfielder, but in the interests of public service I thought I’d try and put something together. It’ll be a mish-mash of Wikipedia stuff, YouTube videos and bits and bobs, but here goes.
Rodrigo Pereira Possebon
Rodrigo Pereira Possebon is a 19 year old central midfielder, born 13th February 1989 in Sapucaia do Sul, Brazil. As his father has Italian ancestry, he holds an Italian passport and therefore is not subject to Work Permit difficulties. His command of the English language is supposedly very good, so hopefully that will aid his settling-in at United. He was signed from Internacional of Brazil for an unknown fee – Wikipedia reports it as being around the 3.5 million Euros mark, but I’ve seen no evidence to back that claim up. He joined United in January 2008 and for the 2008-2009 season was initially handed the number 34 shirt that Ryan Shawcross held before his transfer to Stoke City, but appears to have been registered in the number 35 shirt for this season.
Possebon’s performance against Blackburn, highlighted on MUTV
Possebon is primarily a central midfielder of a type that has been lacking at Old Trafford for a while. He’s not a dribbler like Ryan Giggs; he’s not really the type to break into the box with a late run like Paul Scholes; nor is likely to fall over his own feet whilst standing perfectly still, like John O’Shea. He’s a box -to-box player, something between Bryan Robson and Roy Keane in style. He doesn’t – yet – have Captain Marvel’s finishing ability, although you should see how he hits a volley in this match against Bolton, which was the 2008 Manchester Senior Cup Final:
In his time at Old Trafford, he’s alllready made a name as someone who is able to hit shots from long range with power and accuracy. He was a late call-up to the African pre-season tour, playing against the Kaizer chiefs in a display that left Sir Alex Ferguson purring.
Possebon as an Internacional player
Possebon made his league debut against Newcastle in the drab 0-0 draw at the start of this season and settled immediately, distributing the ball well without giving it away once. He also came on against Portsmouth, and gave the ball away with his first touch. However, he chased back after the player and won the ball with an excellent clean tackle on the edge of his own box.
Finally, this is the 2008 Lancashire Senior Cup Final. This is Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s first match as reserve team manager, and Possebon played in midfield:
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