Jamie Carragher has admitted that his famous “leave the football before the football leaves you” remark about Casemiro two years ago was “too harsh and premature”, as the Manchester United midfielder prepares for his final games with the club.
Carragher reflects on controversial comment
The Brazilian, who joined United on a £350,000-a-week deal from Real Madrid in 2022, endured a difficult period on the pitch in 2024. His struggles were particularly evident in United’s 4-0 defeat away at Crystal Palace, which prompted Carragher’s comments on Monday Night Football. “Leave the football before the football leaves you,” Carragher said at the time. “The football’s left him at this top level. He needs to call it a day at this level of football and move.”
Two years on, Casemiro is enjoying his best spell in a United shirt, though he will leave at the end of the season. The 34-year-old described Carragher’s comment as “disrespectful” this week, prompting the Liverpool legend to respond in his Telegraph column.
Carragher's revised stance
“In retrospect, do I regret my comments about such a legendary footballer? Yes and no,” Carragher wrote. “It must be acknowledged that the implication that Casemiro was ‘finished’ at the highest level was too harsh and premature. My argument was he would be better heading out to the MLS, or accepting offers from Saudi Arabia, because he would never get back to anywhere near his best to achieve the same heights of winning the Champions League or league titles at Old Trafford as he did so brilliantly at Real Madrid. At the time, those observations were not controversial.”
Carragher added that his remarks were not personal but based on United’s struggles. “Go back and listen to every respected pundit and reporter covering United during that period, and you will not find a well-informed piece on the club’s struggles without the Casemiro deal being referenced as a symbol of a failed, ill-judged and over-indulgent transfer policy.”
Lessons for Manchester United
Carragher also insisted that Casemiro’s signing should serve as a lesson for United executives when considering future big-name acquisitions. “This week, Casemiro suggested my remarks were ‘disrespectful’, and that is fair enough,” Carragher continued. “Anything he says in response comes with the territory, although I would counter and say no disrespect was intended. Quite the contrary. Because of his stellar career, it was natural to compare Casemiro to the extraordinarily high standards he set for himself.”
“But when the dust settles, no amount of rewriting history will change this fact: the next time a player of Casemiro’s age and status is available for the same salary and transfer fee, United will learn from experience and say: ‘thanks, but no thanks’.”
Casemiro will say his goodbyes to the Old Trafford crowd after Sunday’s final home game against Nottingham Forest before United’s final day trip to Brighton.
