Former Manchester United defender Fabio Da Silva has revealed that ex-Red Devils midfielder Anderson used to teach him and his twin brother Rafael a lot of swear words while they were at Old Trafford.
“We’d go to a Brazilian restaurant with Anderson and he offered to teach us English for free, which was nice of him, but his own English was not the best! He did teach us lots of swear words in English though!
“Everyone loved Anderson, he has the biggest heart. Even now, we have a group chat of former players and Anderson is in there, still writing in English and still using words that only he understands!”
Fabio da Silva has also praised Cristiano Ronaldo for helping him and brother Rafael settle in at Old Trafford, saying that the Juventus star is a very selfless person.
Ronaldo is often described as being egotistical, but his former team-mate feels differently about the five-time Ballon d’Or winner.
The twins joined United in 2008. Fabio left for Queens Park Rangers on loan during the 2012/13 season and eventually for Cardiff City in 2014. Rafa joined Lyon from United in 2015.
Fabio currently plays for Nantes in France. At 28 years old, the pair are already well travelled, but their initial integration in Europe could have been very different if it had not been for a certain Portuguese attacker.
“Some people were incredibly kind to us, like Darren Fletcher,” Fabio told ESPN. “He helped us a lot and we’re still friends. Rio Ferdinand and Cristiano, who spoke Portuguese, were also a big help – we didn’t know a single word of English.
“I’ve heard Cristiano called selfish, but he gave us non-stop advice both on and off the pitch. When I made my debut against Tottenham, I played alongside him. Cristiano told me not to take any risks in our half because he might not be able to get back to help me.
“Then he said, ‘When you get into the opponents’ half, you can do whatever you like’. With Cristiano supporting me, I felt so positive.”