The Manchester United midfielder Anderson was dragged unconscious from the burning wreckage of his car after a crash yesterday morning that is now the centre of a police investigation in Portugal.
Anderson, signed for £18m three years ago, spent several hours in hospital after the accident on a rural road in the Geres area of Braga, with witnesses reporting he owed his life to being pulled "lifeless" from the vehicle shortly before it exploded.
According to local reports, the 22-year-old Anderson, increasingly becoming renowned for his partying lifestyle, had spent the night at the Sardinha Biba nightclub before leaving in a £125,000 Audi R8. The crash occurred at 7am when the high-powered car came off the road and hit the wall of a farm before flying into a field.
Although the French-registered car was a two-seater, Anderson had two companions – a friend, whose name was given only as Victor, and a young Brazilian woman, whose details have not been released. It is unclear who was driving but there were unconfirmed allegations it could lead to a drink-driving charge and a possible offence of allegedly having excess passengers. Manchester United were unavailable for comment tonight.
All three were taken to St Mark's hospital but discharged by late morning after being treated for concussion, whiplash and shock. "They had only minor injuries," a hospital spokesman, Roman Fresco, said. The woman is understood to have needed the most treatment.
The Portuguese press quoted the Gestifute agency, which represents Anderson, as saying the former Porto player had suffered an "almighty scare" but would be returning to Manchester to continue his rehabilitation. Anderson ruptured the cruciate ligament in his left knee in February, an injury that ended hopes of him participating in the World Cup, and he is not expected to be fit until next month at the earliest.
Whether Sir Alex Ferguson knows about the Brazilian's accident is unclear, but the United manager will inevitably be concerned that, at the very least, one of his players had spent the entire night at a nightclub, particularly when Anderson is recovering from a serious knee injury.
Ferguson's relationship with the player, signed from Porto in 2007, became strained last season and Anderson was reputedly fined two weeks' wages in January for returning to Brazil without the club's permission after an argument with the manager. Anderson, who has scored only once during his time at Old Trafford, had been singled out for criticism and dropped from the next match, following United's 2-1 defeat in the first leg of the Carling Cup semi-final against Manchester City. He was subsequently omitted for a month and it was in his comeback match, against West Ham United, that he damaged his knee.
Cristiano Ronaldo, Anderson's close friend and former United team-mate, wrote off a £200,000 Ferrari when he crashed into a roadside barrier in a tunnel near Manchester airport in January 2009. He was not injured and police decided not to prosecute the Portugal international.
Anderson, signed for £18m three years ago, spent several hours in hospital after the accident on a rural road in the Geres area of Braga, with witnesses reporting he owed his life to being pulled "lifeless" from the vehicle shortly before it exploded.
According to local reports, the 22-year-old Anderson, increasingly becoming renowned for his partying lifestyle, had spent the night at the Sardinha Biba nightclub before leaving in a £125,000 Audi R8. The crash occurred at 7am when the high-powered car came off the road and hit the wall of a farm before flying into a field.
Although the French-registered car was a two-seater, Anderson had two companions – a friend, whose name was given only as Victor, and a young Brazilian woman, whose details have not been released. It is unclear who was driving but there were unconfirmed allegations it could lead to a drink-driving charge and a possible offence of allegedly having excess passengers. Manchester United were unavailable for comment tonight.
All three were taken to St Mark's hospital but discharged by late morning after being treated for concussion, whiplash and shock. "They had only minor injuries," a hospital spokesman, Roman Fresco, said. The woman is understood to have needed the most treatment.
The Portuguese press quoted the Gestifute agency, which represents Anderson, as saying the former Porto player had suffered an "almighty scare" but would be returning to Manchester to continue his rehabilitation. Anderson ruptured the cruciate ligament in his left knee in February, an injury that ended hopes of him participating in the World Cup, and he is not expected to be fit until next month at the earliest.
Whether Sir Alex Ferguson knows about the Brazilian's accident is unclear, but the United manager will inevitably be concerned that, at the very least, one of his players had spent the entire night at a nightclub, particularly when Anderson is recovering from a serious knee injury.
Ferguson's relationship with the player, signed from Porto in 2007, became strained last season and Anderson was reputedly fined two weeks' wages in January for returning to Brazil without the club's permission after an argument with the manager. Anderson, who has scored only once during his time at Old Trafford, had been singled out for criticism and dropped from the next match, following United's 2-1 defeat in the first leg of the Carling Cup semi-final against Manchester City. He was subsequently omitted for a month and it was in his comeback match, against West Ham United, that he damaged his knee.
Cristiano Ronaldo, Anderson's close friend and former United team-mate, wrote off a £200,000 Ferrari when he crashed into a roadside barrier in a tunnel near Manchester airport in January 2009. He was not injured and police decided not to prosecute the Portugal international.
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