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6th January 2016
12:30pm GMT
Being little is sometimes easier said than done for the 22-year-old. When he first joined Lazio in 2013, Anderson put on a considerable amount of weight. This was genuinely attributed to the player's poor grasp of Italian, which caused him to constantly order spaghetti carbonara.
Anderson can play in a number of positions and is famed for his lightning pace and beguiling skill. He is genuinely two-footed and boasts a fine shot from distance. Although used mainly on the left-wing by Lazio, he is also able to play down the middle or on the right.
On the down side, the Brazilian is what is often referred to as a 'confidence player'. When on form, he is virtually unplayable and has all the natural attributes and raw talent to be a genuine world-beater. But he remains inconsistent and his head can drop when things aren't going well.
Anderson's family are all 'Top Reds' and he grew up a huge Man United fan, in much the same way that Robbie Keane always dreamed of playing for all of his various boyhood clubs. The Serie A star was even named after an Old Trafford legend - Class of '93 graduate Philip Neville.
Despite his Brazilian roots, Anderson is massively into the modern bhangra scene. So much so that he uses his swarthy complexion and brooding almond-shaped eyes to sneak into Asian nights at discotheques under the guise of 'Ravi', a phone reconditioner with a weakness for desi chicks.
Anderson is one of the fastest players in the world. His top speed has been measured at a supersonic 35 km/h. To put that into context, it's as fast as a melancholy cheetah. But don't tell Arsenal fans that he's faster than Héctor Bellerín or I swear to God they'll f*cking cut you.
(Those last three may be untrue.)Explore more on these topics:
