Anderson Could Have Been 'The Best Player In The World' But He 'Just Didn't Care'

Anderson could have been the best player in the world, according to former teammate Ben Foster, but he "just didn't care."

The former Manchester United midfielder, who lifted four Premier League titles and a Champions League at Old Trafford, was seen as one of the most promising talents in world football when he signed from FC Porto as a teenager in 2007.

He produced glimpses of brilliance at United, with his penultimate penalty against Chelsea in the Champions League being one of the more memorable moments in his United career.

But it could be argued that Anderson failed to live up to expectations at Old Trafford, and former United goalkeeper Ben Foster has recently opened up about the Brazilian's talent in a fascinating interview.

"He could have been the best player in the world at one point, I promise you he could have," Foster told the UTD Podcast.

"Everybody would say that he could have been the best in the world at one point. But he just didn't care, he didn't care about anything. Honestly, he didn't care about anything [laughs].

"But you put him on a pitch and he was like that. Carlos Tevez was the same sort of thing. Put him on the pitch and oh my god. There has got to be something in being South American, there's got to be something in that."

Another former United player, Rafael, also echoed Foster's comments in his joint autobiography with twin Fabio.

"We could be on the team coach and pass the services on the motorway and Anderson would jump up impulsively and yell 'McDonald's, McDonald's'," the Brazilian full-back said.

"The guy was crazy, but I love him. Give him a football and he would just play with freedom and sometimes, if he got a good run of games, he could play as well as any player in the league.

"He picked up a lot of big injuries and then his problems with eating the way he did started to affect him.

"It was no coincidence that his best form came when he had a lot of games because that was when he couldn't eat so much.

"I will say something about Anderson - if he had been a professional football player, he could have been the best in the world.

"I'm saying this was all seriousness. I don't know if he ever took anything seriously. He just loved life in such an easy and casual way."

Michael Owen, another former teammate of Anderson at United, agreed that the midfielder was "too laid back."

"He was very talented, was Anderson," the former Liverpool striker told SportsJOE. "Without being too general, he'd have that Brazilian attitude. He was a pretty relaxed guy. Maybe too relaxed at times.

"He loved being out there with a ball at his feet but he did not bother about weights, or anything really. Him getting back from injuries was often a slow process.

"He was a really good player but if he had that driven mentality, he could have been great."