8. Anderson Luís de Abreu Oliveira

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Birthdate:	13 Apr 1988
Birthplace:	Porto Alegre, Brazil
Position:	Forward
Appearances:	14
Joined United:	01 Jul 2007
United Debut:	01 Sept 2007 v Sunderland (H)
International	Brazil

Dubbed the new Ronaldinho, Brazilian wonder kid Anderson completed his move to Old Trafford in July 2007.

There is a striking resemblance between Anderson and international superstar Ronaldinho, not only in terms of looks. Like Barcelona's attacking wizard, Anderson is incredibly skilful and his array of talent will surely dazzle the Premiership.

Both Anderson and Ronaldinho started their careers at Gremio in Brazil. Anderson (or Anderson Luis de Abreu Oliveira to give his full name) joined the Porto Alegre club at the age of just five.

He made his first

appearance for Gremio in 2004, aged just 16 but with his club side in the Brazilian second tier it was internationally where Anderson made his name.

He shone with Brazil at the 2005 South American U-17 Championship and 2005 U-17 World Cup, winning the Adidas Golden Ball for most valuable player.

An Anderson wonder goal for Gremio against Nautico in November 2005 earned a 1-0 win and promotion back to the top flight. That goal and his impressive showing for Brazil's young side persuaded FC Porto to sign Anderson in January 2006.

He continued his promising displays at Porto. He won many honours including the Portuguese Championship in 2005/06 and 2006/07, although his progress was hampered by a broken leg causing him to miss much of last season.

Sir Alex Ferguson and his right hand man Carlos Queiroz were clearly impressed and fought off interest from Barcelona to get their man. Anderson will battle with fellow new signing Nani, Ronaldo and Ryan Giggs for a place in the starting line-up. His favourite position is wide left but he has also featured in central midfield.

On the international front, Anderson earned his first call up to the

Brazilian senior squad in the summer of 2007 and featured in the team’s Copa America campaign.

Anderson has already earned many plaudits, none more so than from Mario Zagallo, the World Cup-winning player and manager.

"Everything suggests he is going to be a superstar, a prodigy, as he has undisputable quality," he said.

If Anderson lives up to the expectations, Premiership and European defenders will be having many sleepless nights working out ways to deal with his trickery.

reference: http://www.manutd.com

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