Matheus Cunha’s rise from a kid in Recife to Manchester United’s starting forward and a World Cup player for Brazil has been fast. But the people who knew him before any of that happened have stories that put the whole thing in perspective.
Barão Xavier runs the Barão Training Centre where Cunha developed as a youngster. He recently told Globo Esporte about a tradition he started during the 2026 World Cup. He keeps two photographs of Cunha on his personal altar as a kind of good-luck charm, asking for protection.
One photo is from Cunha’s wedding day. The other shows him playing for Brazil against Spain. Xavier said he put them there hoping to keep injury away from the player he still calls his own.
“It’s from the day of his wedding,” Xavier said. “It’s a photo that really gets me because he came and sat on my lap, just like he used to do when he was little. It shows affection, it shows love, even after everything he’s achieved.”
Xavier admitted he warned Cunha to be careful during a pre-tournament friendly. Cunha’s response was simple. “Don’t worry, uncle, we’re experienced now.”
The coach recalled the early days when Cunha would travel long distances just to train two or three times a week. They even went to Switzerland twice, raising money through raffles to make it happen. “Success hasn’t gone to his head,” Xavier said. “It was a sacrifice.”
Xavier said he nearly broke down watching Cunha score for Brazil on the biggest stage.
“I froze. I couldn’t react because you always hope for it, but you never know what your reaction will be,” he said. “In a few seconds, your whole life flashes before your eyes. I remembered him at eight years old, then bringing him into the project at nine, then becoming the best player in the world at a youth tournament in Switzerland when he was 10 or 11.”
He also remembered the low points. A broken ankle at 15. Getting cut from a trip to Italy at 16. His father wanted to take him home. Xavier told him to stay and get to know the club instead. “That was the moment everything changed. He cried a lot.”
Here’s something a lot of people don’t know. Cunha was originally a defensive midfielder. He only got moved forward because the Under-19 team needed strikers. That positional switch changed his entire career.
Cunha just finished his first season at United after leaving Wolverhampton. He scored 10 goals and added two assists while mostly playing left wing under Michael Carrick. United finished third and made it back to the Champions League after two years away. His form earned him a spot in Carlo Ancelotti’s Brazil squad for the World Cup, where he started against Haiti and Scotland after coming off the bench in the opener against Morocco. He scored twice against Haiti and once against Scotland, making the Premier League World Cup group stage XI alongside United teammate Bruno Fernandes.
Xavier still keeps those photos on the altar. He’s a Catholic, Cunha’s family is too. He said they ask for God and Our Lady to watch over him. It’s not a strategy or a press release. It’s just a guy who believed in a kid before anyone else did.
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