Headed for new direction: Casagrande will be remembered for his remarkable ability in the air as he now switches his focus to discovering new talents.
PETALING JAYA: Former Negri Sembilan feared striker Casagrande won’t be out to scare defenders on the field in the Super League anymore.
The 37-year-old Brazilian, nicknamed the ‘’Aerial Monster’’ by some for his uncanny heading ability, has called time on his playing career after 14 years in the business.
Casagrande, whose real name is Anselmo Arruda da Silva, however, will still be involved in football as a talent scout with his management company, Etminan.
“Together with Etminan, I will look for new talents in Brazil. My country is a hotbed of talent,’’ he said.
“In my city of Maranhao, there is one Brazilian player by the name of Galeno who plays for Porto in Portugal.
“He recently got his first cap with Brazil too. He is just one of the many talents in my city.
“My boss (Valdir Sousa) and I will hunt for more talents, not just to bring to Malaysia but also to other nations. It will be a cool experience.”
As a striker, Casagrande was so effective that he was even touted for naturalisation to don the colours of the Harimau Malaya.
The process of him becoming a national player, in fact, was 50 percent complete before he decided to hang up his boots
“It was my dream to play for Malaysia. My loved ones and I always felt at home here and my son was born in Kuala Lumpur,” he said.
“But now, it looks like I will focus on another area to help Malaysia, which is to bring talents to the Super League.”
Although he wasn’t blessed with speed as a striker, Casagrande made up for that with his clever positioning and clinical finishing, with the highlight being his unmatched ability in the air - thanks to his 1.9m (6’2’’) stature.
“These situations made me a fighter and I enjoyed those duels,” he said.
Casagrande was a late bloomer in the game as he only made his professional debut in 2010, featuring for Sport Recife in Brazil.
He moved to Malaysia in 2016 where he played for Kuala Lumpur. Casagrande had a creditable first season, scoring 10 goals, but then decided to move back to Brazil the following year where he plied his trade for Campinense.
He returned to Malaysia in 2018, where he played for Felcra before moving to Melaka United in 2019.
A move to Penang in 2020 turned out to be his most successful season, where he inspired the Panthers to the Premier League title, also winning the Golden Boot in the process.
Casagrande’s last destination in the Super League was Negri Sembilan last year. He leaves Malaysia with a scoring rate of 66 goals in all competitions.
