Matheus Cunha's 'favourite player' ruthlessly snubbed Man Utd transfer for Arsenal

Matheus Cunha's 'favourite player' ruthlessly snubbed Man Utd transfer for Arsenal

Newly-announced Manchester United signing Matheus Cunha didn't hesitate when he was asked to name his two favourite players, including one former Arsenal man who turned down the Red Devils

Matheus Cunha agreed to join Manchester United on a five-year deal (Image: David Rogers/Getty Images )

Matheus Cunha once revealed that his footballing idol is Lukas Podolski, who brutally snubbed Manchester United in favour of Arsenal. Podolski, who retired last year, joined the Gunners in an £11million deal in 2012 despite receiving strong interest from Sir Alex Ferguson’s Red Devils.

It was reported at the time that the German football legend’s decision came because then-Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger spoke fluent German. Podolski would go on to win an FA Cup with the north Londoners, though he missed out on lifting the Premier League title in 2012/13 with United.

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Despite reports of interest from Arsenal, Cunha opted against making a similar decision by recently agreeing a transfer from Wolves to United.

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The Brazilian had a £62.5m release clause in his contract at Molineux, which United activated to bring the player to Old Trafford.

It will come as a welcome signing to Red Devils fans as the club kickstarts their summer business by strengthening in a position they have clearly lacked quality in. And they will be even more glad that Cunha didn’t snub them to join rivals Arsenal like his hero Podolski did.

The Brazilian in 2019 was asked to name his favourite players. The first name came as no surprise, having said: "Ronaldinho is undoubtedly a great idol. It's hard to talk about him because he's my friend.

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“He's definitely an amazing person who treated me very well. I wish him all the best and he deserves it."

But he then went on to add: “In terms of players from the Bundesliga, I like Podolski very much. He destroyed the Brazil national team when he went there and became world champion, and I cried a lot at that time.

Cunha is a huge fan of Lukas Podolski (Image: Laurence Griffiths - The FA )

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“But he seems to have a lot of affection from Brazilians even to this day. He's always playing around and joking with Flamengo. I believe Podolski is a German player who has a great personality on and off the pitch."

Cunha being a Podolski fan isn’t as strange as it might seem at first, given that he is well acquainted with the Bundesliga thanks to his spells at RB Leipzig and Hertha Berlin. Cunha spent three seasons in the Bundesliga between 2018 and 2021.

He left Hertha Berlin for Atletico Madrid in 2021, where he made 54 appearances. The forward joined Wolves on an initial loan deal midway through the 2022/23 season before the switch was made permanent in the summer of 2023.

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He managed to score 33 goals in 92 appearances for the Premier League side, including 17 goals and six assists this season.

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