José Kléberson Pereira, played 32 times for Brazil and won the World Cup in 2002. He played for United between 2003 and 2005 making 30 appearances across an injury hit spell at a time when the club was in a transition period and battling with the Abramovich backed Chelsea and Wenger’s best Arsenal team. We caught up with him over zoom from Philadelphia where he is the Head Coach of Philadelphia Union’s Academy and Assistant Coach of Philadelphia Union II.
RR: How did you find out about United's interest in you?
KJP: It's funny, I was in France with the Brazil National Team and after the game Ronaldinho and his brother were talking about how United want Ronaldinho to go there and then they say Kleberson, there is a chance that Ronaldinho will go to Manchester United and there an opportunity for you join also because they want you.
I say, wow, Man United? The team from England? I start to say the names of the players there and Ronaldinho said yeah, we can go together and I say oh my gosh. Then I start to get more information through my agent. Obviously I follow United as a team, but I was just a kid at that time, I never imagined to have the opportunity to play for United.
RR: Do you think that it came too soon for you?
KJP: I don't think it was too soon but things happened really quickly. The World Cup, 23 years old, then the move to United at 24. When I decided to leave Brazil I wanted to play in a big team. I wouldn’t say it’s too soon for me, I just feel like if I had the opportunity to play in another team in Europe, like in Portugal or Spain, it would’ve been a little bit different when I got to United.
RR: Were you expecting Ronaldinho to come with you as well?
KJP: Oh yeah. I expected that. I really talked with him and the other guys a lot about that. He told me like, we’re going together to Man United and then he goes off to Barcelona.
RR: Who were you most looking forward to playing with at United?
KJP: Ruud van Nistelrooy. That’s one player that I was really excited to play with. An incredible player, a goal machine. Every time I would watch highlights of United he would be there scoring goals, assisting and I was curious to play with him.
Of course when I got to United I met many great players like Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, but Ruud was the one I was so very excited to play with.
RR: Which player surprised you most at United?
KJP: Ryan Giggs. The quality and technique. I knew he was a good player but I never imagined just how good. He was one player who really could make things happen., It didn’t matter how you passed the ball to him, or where you wanted the ball, he could do it. He was such a classy player. Movement, with the ball, without the ball, his skill, his passing ability, cool in front of goal. Even more so because he wasn’t exceptionally tall or strong but he knew how to use himself to every situation.
RR: Who helped you most off the pitch at United?
KJP: Quinton Fortune, both on and off the field. He speaks Spanish which helped because my English wasn’t good enough when I got to United. Diego Forlan also helped a lot. They helped me to understand how United play and the history of the club, Quinton was great in terms of advice, fun, and even a little bit Brazilian in his attitude.
RR: What did you find hardest about adapting to United and English football?
KJP: At that time the Premier League was different to now. When I got there United were in transition. They had lost Veron, Beckham and they were bringing in young new players like Cristiano, Darren Fletcher, Djemba-Djemba, myself. In the group they had strong players with a winning mentality and top personalities like Roy Keane, Gary Neville, Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs.
I had a lot of difficulty in adapting. I compare it to Cristiano, in that we arrived at the same time. People say that he made an instant impact in the games but he didn’t suffer with any injuries at the beginning and he had come from playing for Sporting. He came in for Beckham without much positional competition. He could start more games. The injuries that I got really stunted my adaptation and I was competing with Scholes and Keane for a starting spot when I was fit. These were top players and I wasn’t even close to them and with a completely different style.
RR: Which player had the biggest impact on you as a player?
KJP: Roy Keane. When you play with Roy he is always behind you, encouraging you, pushing you to play faster, make better decisions, be stronger in defending. Of course when mistakes happen he’s the first one to scream at you to be better. He was all about intensity, finding the right pass and not making mistakes. I knew if I made mistakes I would be hearing some nice words from him, ha ha.
RR: Were you ever tempted to speak back to Roy or people like him?
KJP: No, not really. In my career I always had guys like him around with that personality and drive but my English wasn’t great so I couldn’t really understand much of what he was saying, especially when he was angry. When he went easy and gave instructions it was a lot easier to follow. It is all part of a career. I just tried to do my job and work hard to do my best for the team.
RR: How was your relationship with Sir Alex Ferguson?
KJP: Great. Wow, Sir Alex. He's as amazing coach and a great manager. He understood how difficult things were for me at that time. He probably had a lot of expectations of me, because I was young and the things I did in the World Cup but you know sometimes in football you go somewhere and things go well and other times they don’t. He tried to help me a lot, give me opportunities but I found it difficult to adjust to the style, especially that first season as it wasn’t a great one for us. The Arsenal team at that time was top and then there was that game against Porto. A ridiculous game where we had bad luck. If we had won that we would’ve probably won the Champions League.
RR: What was your favourite memory of your time at United?
KJP: This is easy. 22.11.2003. The date of my first goal for United. It was also the day my son was born. I had just come back from injury and I was feeling good, I came back stronger, more power, better understanding of the style and team. When I scored I ran to the corner and did the famous Bebeto celebration, you know, rocking the baby.
When I got into the family room after the game everyone was giving me strange looks. My wife wasn’t supposed to be there because it was so close to the due date, but she came without telling me and had gone into labour and was sat in the corner of the room. We got in a car to the hospital so quickly!
RR: What was your favourite memory of your time with Brazil?
KJP: Another easy one. The World Cup Final 2002. That game is a really special game for me because everything was going well for the team and me. Scolari looked at me before the game and told me I was going to be the best player on the pitch and that nobody would be marking me. He doesn’t tell Ronaldo, you’ll score two goals, he doesn’t tell Rivaldo you will be the best player on the pitch or Marcos that he will be the best keeper. I stepped onto the field with so much freedom and confidence and I played like a dream. Almost every touch was perfect, I hit the post, I closed the space around opponents and also made an assist. Playing in that team with those players, for me was amazing. Sometimes I look back and I can’t believe it. Imagine playing and winning the World Cup with people like Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Ronaldinho, Roberto Carlos, wow. It was such a special group, we had Kaka on the bench as he was so young. Ronaldo was so good for us, his mentality, interactions, technique, ideas and the respect he gave and got. I never saw someone as respected as him, nobody ever says anything bad about him, everyone loves him.
RR: What was your favourite stadium to play in?
KJP: Old Trafford! It's amazing. I didn’t cry as a young man but I wanted to when I first went there and I was close to Bobby Charlton and I shook his hand and he gave me some advice and I really felt I was going to cry. Imagine Bobby Charlton with his history being sat down near to you. The history of the place and the way the fans arrive early to make the atmosphere. I never had the feeling I had at Old Trafford in another stadium.
This interview was conducted for the Republic of Mancunia’s Season Preview 2022, with all proceeds going to charity. If you would like to support, the book is available on Kindle from Amazon UK, US, Canada, India, Australia, Germany and Mexico.