Brazilian fullback Rafael da Silva has disclosed that Cristiano Ronaldo played a big part in his move to Manchester United over a decade ago. Rafael da Silva narrated how Ronaldo influenced him and his twin brother Fabio da Silva on the transfer to Manchester United despite the fact that they were reluctant to leave their home country Brazil.

Fabio da Silva and Rafael da Silva had been on the Manchester United radar for a long time before club officials decided to take their interest in the two Brazilians to a new level by making an offer to Brazilian league side Fluminense for their services. Fabio is a more versatile fullback than Rafael as he can play conveniently at both left-back and right-back. On his part, Rafael is a specialist right-back.
After years of work on the part of the scouts at Manchester United, the twins opted to sign for the club in February 2007, though they were not part of the first team until they turned 18.
The Da Silva brothers were regulars in the Manchester United first team under Sir Alex Ferguson though Rafael saw more playing time than Fabio. In total, the twin brothers scored eight times in 226 appearances for the Red Devils.
After Manchester United, Rafael da Silva played for clubs such as Lyon in France, Turkish team Istanbul Basaksehir and he’s currently at Botafogo in Brazil. On his part, Fabio is presently on the payroll of French side Nantes.