Matheus Cunha has proven he truly knows what it means to be a Manchester United player. Cunha moved to Old Trafford over the summer, joining for £62.5 million from Wolves as United won the race to sign the Brazil international. The 26-year-old has quickly established himself as a fan favourite for the Manchester powerhouse and has done so further with his off-field commitments.
Wolves form earned big money move to Old Trafford
The Brazil international was vital as Wolves managed to stave off relegation last season, scoring 15 times for the Midlands outfit, which prompted speculation over a move away from Molineux. A host of Premier League sides registered their interest in Cunha, who Wolves were adamant would not leave unless his £62.5m ($82m) release clause was triggered.
Cunha still has just one league goal to his name for United, that coming in a resounding 4-2 home win over Brighton last month, but the Brazilian's work ethic has appeased supporters. And he's quickly slotted in for Ruben Amorim's men, either on the frontline or in one of the supporting roles behind the striker.
However, it is Cunha's off-field commitments that have also won supporters over with the 26-year-old agreeing to partake in local festivities in the lead up to Christmas.
AdvertisementAFPCunha admits he supported United as a kid
Altrincham's festive season gets underway this weekend as two major stars turn on the Christmas lights on Saturday. Dancing on Ice winner Sam Aston, best known for his role as Chesney in Coronation Street, will join United forward Cunha for the big moment. The pair will officially launch Altrincham's 'Neon Noel' celebration to kick off the lead up to Christmas Day.
Wanting to be active in the local community shouldn't come as a surprise to United supporters after Cunha revealed he grew up supporter the Manchester powerhouse following his move to Amorim's side earlier in the year. Cunha admitted that he supported the club while growing up in his native Brazil and that he idolised Wayne Rooney when he was younger.
"It’s a funny story. Only in my grandma’s house could we watch the Premier League. My house didn't have the channel and my cousin’s house didn't have the channel. So we organised to go at the weekend to my grandma’s house to watch the Premier League," the forward said.
"He's older than me and he supports United and he showed me the way to start to watch the Premier League and that I needed to support United. And for me this club was always a bit inside of me. When I played with him in the street on the gravel pitch, we called these pitches Old Trafford. Imagine. So wow, it's so hard to be here now and then thinking about the past is very emotional for me."
'Rooney – wow!'
Cunha stated that the player he liked watching most was Rooney, who left Everton for United in 2004 and returned to the Toffees in 2017, and that he sees similarities between himself and the former England international.
"It's always hard to talk about because I remember the whole squad at the time that I started to watch them. You know, in the front, Rooney – wow! Someone that I think I have a lot of similarities in my game, because I always give everything," Cunha added.
"I remember he was the No. 10 and everyone loved the skills of the player in this shirt, but he always brought more. He went to the grass to take the ball, this kind of energy inside of him was a big example."
Getty Images SportWhere is Altrincham?
Altrincham is one of the more affluent suburbs to the south of Manchester. Plenty lot of players live in the area, including in wealthy adjacent villages, which includes Hale where Cunha now resides.
Former United goalkeeper David De Gea occasionally used National League side Altrincham FC's stadium, Moss Lane, to keep himself sharp during his year as a free agent following his release in 2023. The Spaniard moved to Fiorentina last year, and impressed for the Italian side.
De Gea has also admitted that he once inadvertently stole some doughnuts from a local Tesco shortly after he moved to England from Atletico Madrid in 2011. "Nothing really happened," De Gea said at the time. "Me, my cousin and a friend from Spain went to the shop, we were hungry and took the doughnuts.
"We we going to buy more things. I realised I didn't have my wallet so I went out to the car to get it. Nothing more. They thought that I was leaving without paying so I tried to explain to them but my English is still not very good and we were there for a while.
"In the end a Spanish girl arrived and we understood each other and in the end they ended up apologising to us. They made a big thing out of nothing but I took the whole thing as something funny."