"One of the toughest things for any player to get to grips with, when coming to the Premier League, is the language. Almost everybody speaks English, even the foreign stars, and so it's vital you learn quickly. Yet Kleberson, who joined Manchester United from Athletico Paranaense in 2003, at the age of 23, actually found the language barrier helpful on a couple of occasions."
"I remember in one of my early games, Ferguson was screaming at me and my team-mates were looking at me, the 46-year-old, who now speaks perfect English, tells FourFourTwo on behalf of BetVictor Online Casino. But I didn't understand a word he was saying. My English was terrible. I went to ask Quinton Fortune, who spoke Portuguese, and he just smiled at me and said, Don't worry about it, mate, just play your game!' He knew I was nervous and didn't want to scare me."
"One time, when we were playing together in training, Keane shouted at me and I didn't understand. So I just told him about winning the World Cup in 2002. I didn't know what else to say. I was speaking Portuguese and he looked so confused! Kleberson is keen to point out that his skipper was a joy to play alongside."
Kleberson joined Manchester United from Athletico Paranaense in 2003 at age 23 and initially struggled with English. His lack of English prevented him from bearing the full brunt of Sir Alex Ferguson's and Roy Keane's on-field tirades, occasionally sparing him direct criticism. Quinton Fortune, who spoke Portuguese, reassured him during matches and encouraged him to play his game. A training incident saw Keane shout at Kleberson, who replied in Portuguese about the 2002 World Cup, leaving Keane puzzled. Kleberson praises Keane as a dedicated captain and looks back fondly on his two seasons and 20 league appearances.
Read at www.fourfourtwo.com
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