Current Leicester City centre-half Jonny Evans remembers with relish his days at Manchester United playing with Brazilians Rafael da Silva, Fabio da Silva and Anderson.
Rafael and Fabio were twins who came from Fluminense, while Anderson arrived from FC Porto in the summer of 2007 and Evans remembers well their influence in the Old Trafford dressing room.
“That was one of the great fringe benefits of being at United: you learn a lot from seeing different cultures around the dressing room, how different people are brought up.
“Rafa and Fabio were from Brazil, like Anderson, they were totally different characters, brought up in a different way to the rest of us.
“Personally, being brought up in Belfast, I was used to the climate in Manchester. For a lot of foreign players coming over, the place has this reputation.
“But those lads came over from Brazil, as teenagers used to sunshine and the beach, and they completely bought into life in Manchester and fell in love with the place.”