Andreas Pereira can understand why people in England do not rate the quality of football in South America. “At the time I had the same feeling,” the Fulham midfielder says as he discusses joining Flamengo on loan when he realised it was time to leave Manchester United in the summer of 2021. “I was not thinking about going back to Brazil. A few clubs in Europe were interested but I was not sure about them. That’s when my dad told me one of the most important things.”
Pereira’s father, Marcos, is a former professional footballer and he could see that his son needed a change of scenery. There was too much competition in attacking midfield at United. Pereira had tried. The Brazil international joined United in 2011, lured away from PSV Eindhoven by Sir Alex Ferguson, and was the owner of some fond Old Trafford memories by the time Fulham bought him last summer.
There was Ferguson telling Pereira that there was always room for a Brazilian in his team. There was Louis van Gaal giving him his debut in 2014. Tactical guidance from José Mourinho. Being in the starting lineup when Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s United knocked Paris Saint-Germain out of the Champions League in 2019.
But there was never continuity. These days Pereira can talk about Fulham, who are sixth before hosting Wolves on Friday night, handing him a chance to express himself in England – “to show who I really am,” the 27-year-old says. He is playing in his favoured No 10 position and has the trust of the manager, Marco Silva.
In August 2021, though, Pereira did not feel free. He had enjoyed loans at Granada, Valencia and Lazio but the next step felt out of reach.
“You play football to have fun,” Pereira says. “My dad said: ‘Andreas, you don’t have fun. You’re at one of the biggest clubs in the world, but you don’t seem happy. They don’t appreciate you as much as you would like. Go where they will love you.’ And at the last minute Flamengo came in.
“It was crazy because my wife was eight months pregnant. All my friends were like: ‘Are you really doing this?’ Even United said: ‘Are you sure, Andreas?’ I said: ‘I’m going, I want to be close to my family for once.’ I wanted to play in my country, feel the love and be confident. Then we’d see.”
Pereira laughs. His wife, Patricia, is Spanish and was not particularly thrilled about the move. “In the end she came to Brazil,” Pereira says. “The club did fantastic work. We had the baby, no problem. But it was strange for my wife to be so far from her family for the first time. But she told me: ‘If you have to be happy there, we’re all going to be happy.’”
Patricia enjoyed the weather and living by the beach. As for the football? “Quality wise it’s the same level as Europe,” Pereira says. “The players are very technical. It’s difficult to tackle in because they can dribble. Maybe they lack intensity.
“But I understand the intensity is not there when you’re playing in 40 degrees. You do two or three sprints and you’re out of breath. That’s what I felt straight away. In the first Libertadores game we played, away in Ecuador – a six-hour flight. The pitch was so dry. A little bit of altitude, a hostile atmosphere. I thought: ‘You’re not just going to show up and be good.’ It’s very hard to play in South America. People underestimate it.”
Pereira probably would have stayed at Flamengo had promoted Fulham not signed him. “I knew the team did very well in the Championship,” Pereira says. “It was perfect.”
Silva convinced Pereira, who has scored two goals and made six in the league this season. “The way he plays is the exact same way I think about football,” Pereira says. “Pressing, scoring a lot of goals, taking risks. Defensively you have to be disciplined too. But I feel free.”
Fulham, who face Leeds in the fifth round of the FA Cup on Tuesday, are not a soft touch. Pereira is enjoying linking in attack with his fellow Brazilian Willian, and he smiles at a mention of João Palhinha, Fulham’s tough midfielder.
“He makes a lot of tackles,” Pereira says. “But it’s the mentality the manager gives us. It’s in the group. That’s the main thing in the Premier League – nobody likes to play a team that never surrenders.”
Fulham were outplayed by Brighton last weekend, only to win thanks to a late goal from Manor Solomon. “One chance pops up and Solomon finished it,” Pereira said. “We can play better. But we were fighting for every yard; fighting for the player next to you.”
It is easy to see why Mourinho liked Pereira. He returned from a loan at Valencia in 2018 ready to compete. He started when United opened the new campaign by beating Leicester. Yet United lost at Brighton a week later and Pereira was substituted at half-time. “From that day on it was harder to play and in December José left. It’s always difficult when a manager leaves because you’re creating a bond and he knows you’re there. Another manager comes in and everything starts from zero again.
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“Ole was great. He played me more in offensive roles. The season after, I played a lot. Then Covid came. Every time I was building something with United something got in the way.”
Pereira relished playing for Mourinho. “Even if it looks from the outside that he doesn’t give opportunities to young players, I don’t agree with it. I got in the national team mainly because of him. He made me play deeper and helped me see the game from another perspective.
“My first thought was: ‘Whoa, I cannot defend, I have to learn.’ But he showed me some stuff I had to do better. It’s José Mourinho. You want to learn off the best.”
Pereira flourished in a more advanced role at Flamengo. But when they lost 2-1 to Palmeiras in the Copa Libertadores final in November 2021, it was Pereira whose slip let Deyverson in for the winning goal.
“It was painful,” Pereira says. “I felt it was one of my best games. To happen that way in the last minute was difficult. But I think it happens for a reason. I will take the blame, no worries. I came back from it. That’s what I wanted to show the guys there. It happened. It’s over. We’re gonna win it the next year.”
And so it proved. Pereira stayed at Flamengo for another season; his final appearance was the first leg of their Libertadores quarter-final against Deportes Tolima. He scored the only goal against the Colombian club but soon joined Fulham.
But Pereira has not lost his connection with Flamengo. He cried when his former teammate David Luiz called him after Flamengo’s triumph in the Libertadores final last October.
“I called him before the game,” Pereira says. “I told him: ‘You’d better win it because I want my medal.’ When they won it was amazing. There’s a lot of pressure there. They have 40 million fans. They crucified me because I made a mistake. They would say I wouldn’t be able to do anything. I played and they went on to win it. I played all the group games and the quarter-final. I still felt part of it.”
Pereira’s appetite for risk was rewarded. He was born in Belgium – football had brought his father to Europe – and moved from Lommel’s academy to PSV when he was nine. “I’m not afraid,” he says. “When I was young I was a Brazilian living in another culture in Belgium. I grew up in Holland playing at PSV. I like the adventure.”