Rafael: I have matured

Rafael has arguably been the Reds' most consistent player this season. He sat down with Inside United recently to discuss the changes in his game and his ever-growing confidence...

Everybody’s talking about how much you’ve matured this season. What has changed to make that happen?
I'm getting old! [laughs] No, I think this is just a natural development – it's bound to happen when you play more games and have more experiences. My daughter has also helped me – it's settled me down a lot. When you're a dad you have to be mature. Also, I think splitting from Fabio – he's on loan at Queens Park Rangers this season – has been a good experience.

You used to get stick from people who said you went forward too much or threw yourself into too many tackles. Have you made a conscious effort to curb some of those instincts?

Yes and no. I'm a Brazilian and everybody knows how much we love to attack. Part of my game is going forward and I love to score goals – it's an incredible feeling. It's always been the case that I've had to think carefully about when to go forward and when to stay behind. I think the difference now is that I'm making more correct decisions and that's something that comes from playing regularly in the team. The same goes for my tackling. You can't always win the ball and sometimes the best thing to do is not to make a challenge. You learn when to tackle and when not to.

You seem more confident than ever. Would you agree?
I feel good, definitely. I'm getting older. I don't feel young anymore. I think everybody still thinks of me as this teenage boy who's only just arrived at the club. But I'm 22 now, I'm a father. I'm not a kid anymore. Now I feel like a man and maybe that shows on the outside. I'm obviously still learning about football and I'll keep learning, but I feel ready for anything now. I'm ready to make a big impact.

You seemed to have struck up a really good understanding with Antonio Valencia down the right wing. How enjoyable is it to play with Antonio?
It's amazing. He's a terrific player and he's so strong. When I go out on the pitch and Antonio is in front of me it fills me with confidence. We have a very good relationship off the pitch as well – perhaps that helps during games.

Do you know much about David Beckham and Gary Neville's partnership down the right in the 90s?
Of course, and I hope me and Antonio can have the same success at United. To play together for almost 10 years here would be incredible and I'm sure we could have a lot of success. It would be a dream to develop a partnership as good as that one. I like the fact that Neville and Beckham were good friends as well.

Sir Alex said recently that whenever you go back to Brazil you end up playing football every day in the street. Is that true?
Yes, it is! I love it. We always spend time with our friends when we go back and part of that is playing against other teams from the neighbourhood in our city. It's not a big city and it's just for fun so it's really enjoyable. We also play a lot of beach soccer and volleyball but with the feet and head. It's obviously very different to playing at Old Trafford – there's not as much pressure and we don't have to run quite as much!

But the boss says you "train like a beast"!
I read that [laughs]! I think it's because when I play football I just forget about everything else in my life and I commit to football 100 per cent. It doesn't matter if it's a cup final or a training session - I always give my all and I always want to win. I think it's important to train to the same level as you would play a match. It's the best way to prepare.

You’ve chipped in with a couple of goals this season. How satisfying has that been?
I started really well and scored two quite quickly. It's a shame I haven't been able to get a few more because it's a great feeling when you score. Like any other player I hope to score more goals in the future. Quite a few of the defenders have been scoring this season and that's always good for the team - it helps to take a bit of pressure off the attackers.

Tell us about your goal at Liverpool this season...
It's definitely the best goal I've scored for United. It was an unbelievable feeling and when it helps the team win the match it's even better. I remember looking at the ball and it took a little bounce and sat up for me. I thought, 'I have to hit this now, I have to score here' and so I hit it and it went exactly where I wanted it to go.

Which gives you the biggest buzz – a clean sheet or a goal?
They're different feelings, different emotions. One takes 90 minutes to achieve, the other happens in an instant. I can't separate them, but they're both good! Unfortunately, we haven't had too many clean sheets this season. It's a bit of a worry but because we're still winning most of the games it's not a disaster. But it's probably the biggest weakness of our season so far. Thankfully we know we can improve on that aspect and I'm confident we will do that.

Do the players always feel a good Christmas period sets you up well for the second half of the season?
I think so, yes. With so many games in quick succession there are a lot of points up for grabs. There are also a lot of points to lose, so it's important you get the right result. You don't want to be left chasing another team at the top of the table because even though it's only December it can be difficult to claw back those points. But we have a big squad at United and the manager will use all the players to make sure we stay fresh. If we do well over this period then it can set us up well for a title push.

Winning the league must be the main aim after the disappointment of coming so close and missing out last season?
Definitely. At United we start the season wanting to win every competition we play in - the Premier League, the Champions League, the FA Cup, the League Cup... but the league is special. Winning it is an incredible feeling and we want to feel that again. It's important to us this season and we'll battle as hard as we can to make sure we lift the trophy.