What did I do? Casemiro was called up by Mourinho on debut, but starting line-up places feared trouble

Casemiro has been a mainstay of Real Madrid’s starting line-up for many years, but off the pitch he is certainly not as confident and fearless as he is on the green. When José Mourinho announced he would be making his debut for Los Blancos, he was initially worried about what he had done.

Carlos Henrique Casemiro is the heart and soul of Real Madrid’s midfield. He has been there for all five Champions League titles in recent years, even scoring a beautiful goal from distance in the 2016/2017 final against Juventus. On the pitch, he jumps headfirst into every duel and gives a confident impression, but off the pitch he is not so fearless.

He will never forget his debut in the White Ballet jersey. When he arrived from Sao Paulo in Brazil, he first started at Castilla. But it didn’t take long for him to move up the ranks. The nervousness grew.

A call from Mourinho

“One day Alberto Toril (then B team coach) called me and said: ‘Case, the first team needs players and you’re going to train with them. ‘ I got used to the pace and trained very well,” Casemiro recalled of his early days.

“I remember Mourinho was standing nearby with Karanka and they were watching me. ‘Yeah, yeah, I already know that one, that’s Casemiro. He played a lot in Sao Paulo’ Mourinho replies. He said it out loud on purpose so I could hear it,’ Casemiro tells his story.

The Brazilian made his first start for Real Madrid on 20 April 2013 at the Santiago Bernabéu against Real Betis. However, on the day of the match, he didn’t know it yet. “I was nominated for the game, but I didn’t know what to do. Luckily Kaká helped me and told me to go with him to the hotel,” Casemiro recalls.

What did I do?

The squad included such stars as Cristiano Ronaldo, Iker Casillas, Kaká, Marcelo, Xabi Alonso and Sergio Ramos. And among them came the quiet and shy 20-year-old Casemiro.

“I thought I would get five minutes or not play at all. But after breakfast, Mourinho said to me: ‘Case, come here,’ I thought, I haven’t done anything, what can he ask me to do…”

But there was no criticism waiting for Casemiro, quite the opposite. He received unexpected, but more than positive, news.

“I came into the room and Mourinho said to me: ‘Case, I know you. I know you’ve played a lot of games for Sao Paulo.’ I saw the board and on it I saw myself in the starting line-up. Jose pointed to the board and told me I was in the starting lineup. Me in the starting line-up?” the Brazilian responded modestly.

“Yes, you’re a great player, be calm. Fight like hell for every ball,” Mourinho added to Casemiro.

Key player

The defensive midfielder has followed advice from Jose Mourinho throughout his career. After a loan spell at Porto, he established himself as one of Real Madrid’s biggest stars and was an important trump card in Zinedine Zidane’s Champions League title hat-trick in 2016-2018.

It was Casemiro who balanced the defensive line and secured the flankers when they went on the attack. He was the one who untied the legs of Kroos and Modric so that they had the strength to go on the offensive and not have to think so much about defending, as they had the “bulldog from Sao José” behind them.

But Casemiro has also managed to score some important goals, and he is a key player for the Brazilian national team as well. The tough midfielder leads by example both on and off the pitch, where he doesn’t miss a beat.

In fact, he takes care of the integration of youngsters into the A team, because he himself knows how difficult it is to come from Castilla full of nervousness. It is no exaggeration to say that Casemiro is a captain without a armband, and it is thanks to him that Real experienced one of the best decades in history.

Casemiro’s important role has been confirmed recently by the likes of Fede Valverde and Antonio Blanco. Both have agreed that the Brazilian has been a key teammate and role model for them, helping them to acclimatise to the A team.

And when he left Real Madrid for Manchester United in the summer of 2021, the management, players and fans paid him a great tribute for his services rendered in the white jersey. And although at first he thought he had done something wrong and was summoned to the carpet, he eventually became a Real Madrid legend.

Source: Real Madrid, Marca