So it's summer 2008. Pre-season to be exact. United are English and European Champions and for me easily the last truly great United side.
So I am living in Chorlton at the time with my United mate, he'd been to about 3 pre-season friendlies at Old Trafford that summer and after a 0-0 draw (I think it was with Juve actually) he literally came home with a semi over a player called Rodrigo Possebon.
Honestly, for the next month or so he continuously waxed lyrical about how this lad had lit up the pitch in all the games he'd been to and was the next Paul Scholes. It hit boiling point when, about two days from the EPL season, he came home with a FULL UNITED WHITE AWAY KIT with Possebon 34 (I'm sure that was he number) on the back. He had long sleeves too with the shorts and socks.
I laughed in his face and congratulated him about how he'd just wasted about £100 because he would never make it. He assured me that in the MUFC mega store, the guy who did the printing told him 'We've had thousands of Possebon shirts sold this summer'.
What happened to Possebon? Was he actually good that pre-season? Also does anyone else have any daft stories about kit disasters. Someone getting a stupid name on their shirt who they thought would be world class?
True story by the way.
Possebon?
posted on 28/4/20
Wasn’t it just the usual over blown hype for a young foreign kid that happens every season? Him then getting injured gave people an excuse as to why he never reached his potential and his reputation seemed to grow every day he didn’t play.
Just look at how many people here were creaming there pants over the potential of Pereira, look how that worked out.
posted on 28/4/20
comment by Firkin (U19526)
posted 2 hours, 8 minutes ago
He got nobbled in a reserve game against Middlesborough I think, ended his chances of a top career.
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It was in the League cup.
posted on 28/4/20
He just wasn’t that good
Happens with youngsters at clubs all around the world.
posted on 28/4/20
Statistically not many youth players ever really make it, even at our club.
Since the class of 92, how many really good ones have broken through? Rashford and Pogba probably the main two but even with Pogba not only did he have to leave to ‘break through’, he was also signed at age 16 from another club so I don’t really class him as a United youth player.
posted on 28/4/20
We're talking about a player that has made less than 100 first team appearances throughout his professional career (on the assumption his wikipedia statistics are correct).
Even accounting for injuries, that rather suggests he simply wasn't good enough. If you compare him to a similar player like Davide Petrucci (who also struggled with injuries), you can see the difference. Petrucci has played a good number of games in the Romanian & Turkish PL's and generally played at a higher level albeit not at the very top. They're both a pretty similar age as well.
posted on 28/4/20
He was a tidy player but nothing special, from what I remember he did well for the U23’s but wasn’t in the same class as Pogba or Ravel Morrison, two players who had a real x-factor about them and at the time and were really worth getting excited about.
posted on 28/4/20
comment by Ban Wissaka (U5318)
posted 6 hours, 51 minutes ago
comment by Mike (U1170)
posted 18 minutes ago
comment by Firkin (U19526)
posted 21 minutes ago
He got nobbled in a reserve game against Middlesborough I think, ended his chances of a top career.
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Carling Cup game vs Boro.
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he had put in some great performances upto that point.
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I was at that game and he was absolutely bossing the midfield.
Absolutely oozed class on the ball. And he was never the same after the leg break. It was a horrible, horrible challenge.
I’ve never forgiven Pogatetz for that. Imagine doing that to a kid.
posted on 28/4/20
I would honestly have put him up there with Pogba at 18. You couldn’t get the ball off him. He was different class.
I have no doubt that injury changed him. None at all.
posted on 28/4/20
https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/fergie-salutes-terrific-possebon-972756
posted on 28/4/20
Just look at how many people here were creaming there pants over the potential of Pereira, look how that worked out.
......
Not many.