Like Barthez, Kleberson was bought by Sir Alex Ferguson largely because of the success he enjoyed at the World Cup, and like the aforementioned goalkeeper, his time at Old Trafford was unsuccessful. Seen as a replacement for Juan Sebastián Verón, Kleberson arrived at United in 2003 having been described by Luiz Felipe Scolari as the driving force behind Brazil's cup-winning side the previous year. A ringing endorsement, but the Brazilian's Old Trafford career never took off, and he ended up having just as wretched a spell at the club as the fellow South American he was brought in to replace. After getting injured in his second appearance for United, Kleberson went on to make only 20 appearances in a forgettable two year spell before being sold to Turkish side Beikta in 2005. Kleberson will best be remembered for his international, rather than club career, winning the World Cup in the 2002 tournament in South Korea, when Brazil beat Germany 2-0.
Joseph is an accredited football journalist and has interviewed nearly all of the current 20 Barclay's Premier League managers. He is also a correspondent for Bleacher Report and has written for Caught Offside and Give Me Football.
