Ex-Man Utd star Andreas Pereira admits to rubbing Kaka's shorts on his legs for 'confidence' before big games as he reveals emotional phone call with Milan legend

• Pereira reveals Kaka as his idol
• Had chance to get Kaka's shorts as a ball boy
• Rubs shorts on his legs before big games

WHAT HAPPENED? Pereira moved to Fulham from Manchester United for £13 million ($16m) last year, and he has since won the hearts of the team's supporters. The Brazilian midfielder, who was a boyhood fan of former Milan and Real Madrid superstar Kaka, played for United for ten years after entering the club's academy at the age of 16. Pereira once served as a ball boy for a game between the Red Devils and Real Madrid, which gave him the opportunity to ask for Kaka's jersey, but his countryman gave him his shorts instead.

WHAT THEY SAID: The Fulham playmaker said in an interview with ESPN Brazil: "It was a Champions League match between Manchester and Real Madrid and I was a ball boy. Alex Ferguson asked the U21 and U18 players if they wanted to be ball boys because he needed the ball quicker and so on. After the game, I waited and saw Kaka. I asked for his shirt, but he said he’d already changed. Then I said: anything then, a sock, shorts, I don’t know. He said he had a pair of shorts, I said it would do. He gave it to me, it was incredible, and the shorts are still in a safe to this day."

Pereira added on regularly using the shorts in a bizarre pre-match ritual: "Every now and then, before an important game, I go and get them to give me confidence, to rub on my leg."

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Pereira also opened up on his first ever conversation with Kaka, having been put in touch with the Brazil icon by Fulham team-mate Willian. The former United ace admits he was initially overwhelmed by emotion on the call, as he stated: "Two weeks ago, I was at Willian’s house and he asked me who I really admired. I said I’d always liked Kaka a lot, because of his style of play, he was an example to me. He said he knew Kaka and said he was going to ring him. I thought: he must be joking. I kept quiet, it put me off. He called, I heard his voice and I couldn’t stand it, I cried. I spoke to him, to this day I can’t believe I spoke to Kaka. Everyone was in shock.

"Kaka even said that when he came here we were going to do something, and I joked with Willian: don’t even call me, I’ll freeze at the table. He’s always been an idol to me, I’ve always liked his style. A very special person."

IN TWO PHOTOS:

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WHAT NEXT? Pereira will be back in Premier League action when Fulham take on Roberto De Zerbi's Brighton away from home on Sunday, October 29.