Matheus Cunha: The excellent student and the mission to revive MU

MU rebuilt from the first brick Matheus Cunha, who before playing professional football was a good student who helped teachers tutor friends.

Happy

MU have completed the signing of Matheus Cunha , after activating his release clause with Wolves for £62.5 million (€73 million).

After a disastrous season, MU decided to quickly enter the transfer market to give Ruben Amorim time to rebuild the team. This season, everything he does is based on the legacy of his predecessor Erik ten Hag.

Cunha had a great season with Wolves. Photo: Imago

Cunha has not had time to go to Manchester. Because, he has to return to Brazil to prepare for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in South America, according to Carlo Ancelotti's call-up list .

However, Cunha's relatives said he was very happy. Joining MU was one of his biggest dreams, when he was a boy playing futsal and spending time in class.

The joy of becoming a MU player was only diminished when he scored in the final, helping Brazil win the gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (held in 2021 due to the impact of Covid-19.

“Oh my God, this is real. It is here, with me. In this medal, I see all the obstacles I have overcome,” said Cunha, who spent his days in August 2021 looking at the gold medal in his home in Berlin – when he was still playing for Hertha Berlin.

On that occasion, Cunha was given his debut by coach Tite for Brazil in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, winning 1-0 against Chile.

Cunha was called up to the Brazilian national team before the pandemic, replacing the injured Gabriel Jesus. However, he never had a chance to play until early September 2021.

Tite has been following Cunha closely, seeing his progress every day. So, after the happiness of the Olympic gold medal, he decided to give him a debut with Canarinha.

“In just six months, he has matured a lot. Cunha brings many attacking options. He is a hybrid number 9,” ​​Tite commented.

Cunha and Richarlison when winning the 2020 Olympic gold medal. Photo: THX/TTXVN

Excellent students and turning points

Born in Joao Pessoa, the capital of Paraiba state in northeastern Brazil, Cunha started playing futsal at a local club.

At the age of 11, Cunha moved to Recife – 100 km away from home – to live with his grandmother to study at the Barao training center, a unique sports -social project that combines futsal, 7-a-side and 11-a-side football.

A good student, Cunha stayed there for three years before a businessman suggested his family transfer him to Coritiba – a famous youth club in southern Brazil, 3,000 km away from home.

His father, Carmelo – white and a chemistry teacher – taught his son discipline in his studies.

His mother, Luziana – who is black and comes from a poor background – warned him: “Do you really want to go? Fine, but remember to accept yourself and be strong. There, people will call you ‘Paraiba’ (a racial slur – Ed.) and say you are black. And you are.”

At Coritiba, Cunha didn’t just stand out on the football field. The club’s curriculum teacher once asked him to help students who were struggling with math and physics – subjects he excelled at.

During a youth tournament in Dallas in 2017, scouts from Sion (Switzerland) decided to recruit him.

Cunha sees his time in Switzerland as a stepping stone to his career. Thanks to his good language skills, he quickly integrated and scored 10 goals in his first season.

Leipzig, famous for developing young talent, then spent €15 million to bring him to the Bundesliga.

Cunha's versatility and agility are essential for United. Photo: Imago

At Leipzig, despite only starting a few games, Cunha still managed to make his mark with a masterpiece against Bayer Leverkusen: he accelerated, turned around like a roulette (360- ^degree turns around people; Zinedine Zidane often did this), before chipping the ball over the goalkeeper's head.

Leipzig website praised: "If Messi scores this goal, Sky Sports will make a 3-hour documentary" .

In addition to being a reserve, the relationship with the club was strained when Cunha put pressure on him to participate in the 2020 Olympic qualifiers, where he scored 5 goals (top scorer). As a result, Leipzig sold him to Hertha Berlin.

“He is basically a good player, but faced fierce competition and lacked the patience to show his talent,” commented coach Nagelsmann.

Cunha's journey continues with Atletico Madrid, Wolves and ahead of him is MU.

Quick, technical, constantly moving, strong in disputes and intelligent in his playing style, Cunha knows when to drop deep to coordinate and when to penetrate the penalty area.

No matter what position he plays, Cunha always does his job well. Always ambitious since childhood, he confidently contributes to the revival of MU.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/matheus-cunha-chang-hoc-sinh-gioi-va-su-menh-hoi-sinh-mu-2405378.html