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Manchester United midfielder Casemiro suggested that Jamie Carragher's criticism of his performances stemmed from "bitterness" over his previous triumphs against Liverpool during his time at Real Madrid.
Carragher devoted his entire professional career to Liverpool and makes no secret of his passionate loyalty to the club during his post-playing career as a pundit for Sky Sports and CBS. The former center back has never hesitated to deliver sharp criticism of today's top players, most notably unleashing a fierce attack on Casemiro two years ago.
After witnessing United's defensive anchor get dismantled in a 4–0 thrashing at the hands of Crystal Palace in May 2024, a match in which the midfielder was deployed as a makeshift center back, Carragher declared that Casemiro's time at the highest level was finished.
"This has to stop because we are watching one of the greats of modern times," the pundit said on Sky Sports. "I always remember the saying, 'Leave the football before the football leaves you.' The football has left him. At this top level, he needs to call it a day at this level and move."
Casemiro did not move on. In fact, he initially struggled to convince Ruben Amorim of his worth, spending the opening festive fixture run of the Portuguese manager's reign confined to the substitutes' bench. However, the 34-year-old gradually worked his way back into Amorim's plans and was even handed a starting role in last summer's Europa League final.
This season has proven even more rewarding for Casemiro. The commanding aerial presence managed to impress despite the team's collective difficulties in the first half of the campaign, and Michael Carrick's arrival has only elevated his already remarkable levels of performance.
Speaking to TNT Sports Brazil with the assurance of a player in peak form, Casemiro brushed aside the previous criticism. "Everyone says whatever they want on television," he said with a smile.
"I'm not someone who gets involved in that. But it's a bit normal, because I won two Champions League titles over his team. Maybe after you win two titles against his club, there's still some bitterness there."
It's a compelling take from Casemiro. Rather than acknowledge that he had been going through a difficult spell — hardly unusual given the deeply unbalanced United squad operating under the soon-to-be-sacked Erik ten Hag — or simply dismiss Carragher's remarks as misguided punditry, his thoughts drifted back to the 2018 and 2022 Champions League finals.
Casemiro featured in both showpiece occasions as Real Madrid overcame Liverpool on each occasion.
Carragher's Casemiro Climb-Down
United's 3–2 victory over Fulham in February encapsulated Casemiro's extraordinary individual campaign. The ostensibly defensive midfielder powered in the opening goal before threading a stunning no-look pass through for Matheus Cunha to double the hosts' lead. Casemiro was substituted in the 75th minute to a standing ovation, having kept Fulham to very few clear-cut opportunities.
Yet, in his absence, United conceded twice and only salvaged all three points thanks to Benjamin Šeško's stoppage-time winner.
It was at this juncture that Carragher acknowledged his error. In a humble reversal, he admitted: "It is now fair to say the football has not left him [Casemiro].
"... He looks like a completely different player physically as well. Even when I said that, you looked at him and he looked like an old man coming to the end of his time as a player. And whether he let himself go a little bit, or now he's being ultra professional, physically, he looks completely different."
Carragher even welcomed the retort that was inevitably heading his way. "Casemiro is well within his rights to, if he wants to come back at me and say, 'Leave the punditry before the punditry's left you!' He could definitely get one of those back in," the Liverpool legend laughed. "Credit to him, he looks a completely different player."