Anderson could have been the best player in the world if he hadn’t eaten so much and adored McDonald’s food, according to his former Manchester United team-mate Rafael.

United paid around € 35 million to buy Anderson from Porto in the summer of 2007 and he was part of one of the most successful teams in the club’s history.

The Brazilian won nine trophies at Old Trafford, but was never able to place himself in the starting line-up consistently and according to Rafael, eating uncontrollably was among the causes.

In his biography with his twin brother Fabio “Sunshine Kids”, Rafael wrote: “We were on the team bus and along the way Anderson was dancing and shouting ‘McDonald’s, McDonald’s.’ This guy was crazy, but I love him.”

“I gave the ball and he played with freedom and sometimes, if he played well a few games, he played as well as any other player in the league,” he wrote in his autobiography.

“Not only that, but when he played well, we played great football. He suffered a lot of serious injuries and then his problems were eating and the way he ate affected him.”

“I will say something about Anderson, if he were a professional, he would have become the best in the world.”

Anderson, who retired from professional football in 2020 as a player for Adana Demirspor in Turkey, made 181 appearances for United from 2007 to 2015, scoring seven goals and 21 assists.