Steven Gerrard Told Wayne Rooney Which Two Man United Players Were 'P****s' When They Played Against Liverpool

Rafael da Silva has claimed that Steven Gerrard called him and twin brother Fabio da Silva "p****s" when Manchester United played against Liverpool.

The 31-year-old Brazilian right-back arrived at Old Trafford in 2008 and spent six seasons with United before signing for Lyon in 2015.

Rafael made 170 appearances for the Red Devils and lifted three Premier League titles and a League Cup.

Fabio, who also arrived at United at the same time as Rafael, spent six years at Old Trafford and won one Premier League title.

Rafael has now revealed that United legend Wayne Rooney told him that Gerrard "hated" him and his brother.

The former United full-back insisted that they "never did anything" to the Liverpool legend, but he believes that it might have been due to them wearing a "different shade of red."

Rafael told The Athletic: "Wayne Rooney told us that Steven Gerrard hated us.

"He said that Gerrard told him on international duty, 'Those twins, they are pricks!'

"We never did anything to him but wear a different shade of red. I guess that's all it takes.

"And to be honest, I understood what he meant. The feeling was mutual."

Rafael went on to play for Lyon and spent five years with the Ligue 1 side before signing for current club Istanbul Basaksehir in 2020.

The former Brazil international hit out at his treatment under former United boss Louis van Gaal, saying he arrived at Old Trafford and "set about" making changes instantly.

Rafael explained: "I never got an explanation. When Van Gaal arrived, he just said: 'OK, you leave.'

"He came in with an idea of the players he wanted, and didn't want, and set about making those changes instantly.

"He never explained it to me. But I've heard a few explanations from other people and, even before he arrived, everyone was telling me, 'He hates Brazilians.'

"I don't know if it's true or not but I heard it started with Rivaldo when Van Gaal was manager of Barcelona. He put Rivaldo on the bench and Rivaldo started speaking badly of him, trying to sack him, you know.

"After that, they say he started to hate Brazilians: 'Those Brazilians love to sack managers,' something like that."

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Liverpool, Football, Manchester United, Premier League, England, Steven Gerrard

Adnan Riaz

Adnan Riaz is a journalist for SPORTbible. He studied for a B.A. in History at the University of York and followed it up with an M.A. in Multimedia Journalism at MMU. Before he started writing about sports, he spent over four years in the gaming press. He has worked for several publications, including Hardcore Gamer, LADbible and the Manchester Evening News. Follow him on Twitter to find out what he is working on next. Got a story tip for Adnan? Email him: [email protected]

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