'I don't need this' - The Manchester United World Cup winner who almost gave up football after being banished from first-team
In the history of football, only 13 players have won the World Cup and played professionally for Manchester United.
It started with Sir Bobby Charlton, Nobby Stiles and John Connelly in 1966 with England, and most recently saw Lisandro Martinez lift the trophy with Argentina.
The club saw its Paul Pogba and Raphael Varane win with France, while Kleberson famously joined United after his 2002 exploits with Brazil.
Gerard Pique and Juan Mata won it with Spain in 2010, but another player isn't as well known. Victor Valdes joined United in January 2015 when ex-manager Louis van Gaal offered him an 18-month deal.
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The goal was that he would be 'the number two goalkeeper' and challenge fellow Spaniard David de Gea. Valdes was invited by his ex-Barcelona boss to train with United, following a severe knee injury in 2014 that made him miss the World Cup. The Spaniard had turned down a new contract at Barcelona and was looking for a fresh challenge.
Recovering from an injury was Valdes's first obstacle as he started his new journey, which took him away from Nou Camp, but it took six months until he signed his deal at United.
The United boss praised Valdes's performance during training. When he joined the team, there were strong beliefs he might soon become United's new top player, especially since club player of the year De Gea was rumoured to be moving to Real Madrid.
"I can already see this is a very special club," said Valdes.
"I worked with Louis van Gaal during my time at Barcelona and to have the opportunity to work with him here at Manchester United is a dream come true."
Even
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