Casemiro has explained why he gave his FA Cup winners’ medal to Manchester United team-mate Tyrell Malacia.
United beat arch-rivals Manchester City 2-1 at Wembley back in May to lift their 13th FA Cup trophy.
The Red Devils went into the match as huge underdogs following a dismal league campaign and speculation that Erik ten Hag would be sacked regardless of the outcome of the final.
United decided to give Ten Hag more time following the resolute victory, but the Dutchman then lost his job just a few months into the new season.
Casemiro was initially named on Manchester United’s bench at Wembley but was then dropped from the squad altogether due to an apparent hamstring injury.
The Brazilian did celebrate the FA Cup triumph with his team-mates after the game but decided to give his winners’ medal to injured defender Malacia.
Malacia, 25, made 39 appearances for Manchester United during the 2022-23 campaign but did not feature at all last season due to injury issues.
The Netherlands international also missed the first few months of this season before making his long-awaited return in United’s Europa League victory over Bodo-Glimt on Thursday night.
Last month, Malacia revealed Casemiro urged him to join in with the FA Cup celebrations and even gave him his medal.
‘Of course, I wanted to be there to support everyone but, for me, the most difficult part was to be up there with the guys (for the trophy presentation), because I wasn’t part of the team during the whole process,’ he told The Athletic.
‘I was like, “I’m staying down here and you guys just enjoy it, then I’ll see you in the dressing room”.
‘He [Casemiro] was like, “Nah, you have to go up there as well”. And if someone with that kind of experience tells you that, you’re listening.
‘They [the squad] said, “At the end of the day, you’re still part of the team.” I’ve been in a dressing room the whole season and seen everything.
‘They know how hard I’ve been working every day to come back to the team and everything, so they said you deserve it as much as we do.
‘Like I said before: if he gives you that [medal], you just listen!’
Explaining the classy gesture, Casemiro said: ‘I didn’t know Malacia had talked about it, but it’s true, I gave him my medal.
‘He hadn’t played a single game that season, and he didn’t want to climb the steps. There was no medal for him, so I gave him mine.
‘He’s part of the team and we’re counting on him. Even though he hasn’t played this season, we love him, we need him and he also needs love.’
Casemiro is no stranger to lifting silverware, having won five Champions League trophies and three La Liga titles during his nine-year spell at Real Madrid.
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.