Man United Champions League Winner Faces Prison After Court Ruling

Former Manchester United midfielder Anderson has been ordered to prison over his reported failure to pay child maintenance.

Anderson, 36, has been told he will have to serve time in a jail in the southern Brazilian city of Porto Alegre unless he hands over the £45,000 he owes.

According The decision was taken last week by a family court judge in the retired footballer’s home city but only became public overnight.

The lock-up where ex-Brazil international Anderson, who won the Premier League four times with United after signing for the club from Porto in July 2007, has been identified locally as the Irmao Miguel Dario Prison.

The former footballer, who also played for Fiorentina in Italy and Internacional in his homeland before hanging up his boots aged just 31, is said to have been told he must serve 30 days behind bars unless he clears his child maintenance debt.

He has been offered the option of doing his prison time in a ‘semi-open’ regime whereby he could work or study outside the jail during the day but return to sleep at night, according to respected Brazilian news website GZH (via The Mirror).

Anderson was at the centre of controversy in his homeland four years ago after being accused of laundering £4.7million though cryptocurrencies.

He was named by Brazilian newspaper Globo at the time as one of eight people under investigation by a state prosecutor into a scheme designed to divert the cash from the state stock exchange.

During his time at United, Anderson won four Premier League titles, one League Cup, Champions League and FIFA Club World Cup.

He featured in the 2005 FIFA U-17 World Championship and won the Golden Ball as Brazil finished second after losing 3-0 to Mexico in the final.