Fabinho (footballer, born 1993)

Fábio Henrique Tavares (born 23 October 1993), known as Fabinho, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Saudi Pro League club Al-Ittihad and the Brazil national team. A versatile player, Fabinho can also be deployed as a right-back or centre-back. considered as one of the best defensive-midfielders of his generation he is known for his tackling, vision and versatility.

Fabinho began his career at Fluminense and subsequently transferred to Rio Ave in 2012. He spent his entire time in Portugal out on loan, first at Real Madrid Castilla, and made one substitute appearance for the first team. He spent five years at Monaco, playing 233 total games and scoring 31 goals, and he won Ligue 1 in the 2016–17 season. He was recognised a major player at the Monegasque club. Fabinho then transferred to Liverpool for a reported transfer fee of £39 million. In his debut season at Liverpool he won the UEFA Champions League. Victories in the UEFA Super Cup and in the FIFA Club World Cup preceded Fabinho playing a significant role in Liverpool winning the 2019–20 Premier League. He also won the FA Cup and EFL Cup with Liverpool in the 2021–22 season and won the FA Community Shield the following season. Fabinho has received much credit for his role in Liverpool's resurgence over the years. In 2023, Fabinho officially joined Saudi Pro League club Al-Ittihad.

Fabinho made his international debut for Brazil in 2015, and was part of their squads at the Copa América in 2015, 2016 and 2021, finishing in second place in the latter competition. Fabinho was also selected as part of Brazil's squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, a tournament in which they were knocked out in the quarter-finals.

Early life
Fabinho was born in Campinas, São Paulo, to Joao Roberto Tavares and Rosangela Tavares.

Early career
Fabinho began his career at Fluminense. He was called into a first team matchday squad for the only time on 20 May 2012, as he was an unused substitute in a 1–0 win over Corinthians for the season's Série A. On 8 June 2012, Fabinho joined Portuguese Primeira Liga club Rio Ave on a six-year contract. Upon arriving in Vila do Conde, Fabinho was greeted by his new manager, Nuno Espírito Santo. Fabinho later stated that he had been informed of what to expect in Portugal by fellow footballer Deco, who had been with him at Fluminense.

After one month at Rio Ave, Fabinho joined Real Madrid Castilla on a season-long loan on 19 July 2012 and was welcomed in his hotel room in Madrid by José Mourinho. He made his professional debut on 17 August, as the Spanish Segunda División season began, playing 90 minutes in the 2–1 defeat at Villarreal. On 28 April 2013, he scored his first goal, heading an added-time equaliser for a 3–3 draw at CD Numancia. He made his debut for Real Madrid on 8 May 2013, playing 14 minutes in place of Fábio Coentrão and assisting the sixth goal by Ángel Di María in the 6–2 La Liga victory over Málaga at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. Fabinho was later praised by Jason Pettigrove of Bleacher Report as "assured and polished when called upon".

2013–2015: Adaptation to Monaco and first success


On 19 July 2013, Fabinho joined Monaco from Rio Ave on a season-long loan deal. Fabinho chose to move to Monaco as he was confident of receiving regular playing time there and as he was sure of Monaco's status as a prominent club. His decision was made in this way despite the fact that the coaches at Real Madrid Castilla had notified him that he would have a good chance of moving up to the first team. Fabinho took the squad number 2 to wear on his shirt. He made his debut on 10 August at the Stade Chaban-Delmas in Monaco's opening Ligue 1 match of the 2013–14 season, playing the entire match against Bordeaux, with Monaco winning 2–0. He scored his first goal for Monaco in the 58th minute in their 6–0 home win over Lens in the quarter-finals of the 2013–14 Coupe de France on 26 March 2014.

After completing his one-year loan at Monaco, he rejoined the club on loan for another year on 2 July 2014. On 9 December 2014, he scored the last goal in the Group C Matchday 6 2–0 home win over Zenit St Petersburg (his first UEFA Champions League or UEFA Europa League goal), to enable Monaco to qualify for 2014–15 UEFA Champions League knockout phase as group winners.

2015–2018: Ligue 1 victory
On 19 May 2015, after two seasons on loan at Monaco, Monaco and Rio Ave agreed on the permanent transfer of Fabinho; he signed a contract with Monaco for the next four seasons and would be tied to the club until 30 June 2019. On 20 March 2016, Fabinho won a penalty when fouled by compatriot David Luiz, and converted it for a 2–0 win that was Paris Saint-Germain's first home defeat since May 2014.

On 21 February 2017, Fabinho provided one assist each to Radamel Falcao and Kylian Mbappé in a 5–3 away defeat against Manchester City in the 2016–17 UEFA Champions League round of 16 first-leg match. On 15 March, Fabinho made the score 2–0 for Monaco in the 29th minute by driving home Benjamin Mendy's low cross to help Monaco beat Manchester City 3–1 (aggregate score 6–6) in the second-leg match at the Stade Louis II and advance to the quarter-finals on the away goals rule. After Monaco achieved victory in Ligue 1 in 2016–2017, several noted clubs, such as Manchester United, made attempts to sign Fabinho. Fabinho and several other Monaco players dyed their hair in the red-and-white colours of the club as a celebration for the title they had won.

2018–19 season: UEFA Champions League victory
On 28 May 2018, Premier League club Liverpool announced that Fabinho, aged 24, would sign for the club on a long-term contract for a reported initial fee of £39 million, effective 1 July. It was reported that a further £4m could be added to the fee in the form of performance-related bonus payments. The announcement was made days after Liverpool's loss to Real Madrid in the 2018 UEFA Champions League final. The transfer made Fabinho the 9th most expensive Brazilian footballer in history. With Liverpool midfielder Emre Can expected to depart from Liverpool for Juventus, it was suggested by analysts that Fabinho was to be his replacement. Fabinho took the squad number 3 to wear on his shirt. Upon announcing his transfer, Fabinho described himself as "really excited" to be joining "a giant of a team". Fabinho later commented that when he had arrived at the club he had been able to "sense that Liverpool were at the start of something really special", adding that Liverpool "had waited for this moment and [that] now was the time for harvest". His debut for the club came as an injury-time substitute for Sadio Mané in a Champions League group match against Paris Saint-Germain on 18 September, a 3–2 win at Anfield. He made his league debut in a 1–0 win at Huddersfield Town on 20 October, coming on for the last 21 minutes in place of Adam Lallana. A week later he was granted a first league start in a 4–1 home victory against Cardiff City in central midfield alongside Georginio Wijnaldum, and received praise from Sky Sports. On 16 December, Fabinho provided his first assist for Liverpool, a dinked ball over the top of the opposition defence from which Sadio Mané scored, as Liverpool defeated Manchester United at home with a score of 3–1. On 26 December, Fabinho scored his first goal for Liverpool with a late header in a 4–0 win against Newcastle United.

On 7 January 2019, Fabinho played at centre-back against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the FA Cup third round. On 12 January 2019, Fabinho again played in a centre-back position in a 0–1 victory against Brighton & Hove Albion and was highly praised for his role in the win by Garth Crooks. On Fabinho's execution of the centre-back position in the latter match, Ian Wright noted that he had shown his "natural defensive instincts". Following such performances, manager Jurgen Klopp praised him and stated that he was a "new centre-back option". On 7 May 2019, Fabinho was a standout performer as Liverpool overturned a three-goal deficit and beat Barcelona 4–0 in the second leg of the 2018–19 UEFA Champions League semi-finals to advance to the final. In total, Fabinho won a total of 23 tackles, recoveries, interceptions and one-on-one challenges during the match. Former Liverpool player Jamie Carragher later noted that Fabinho was "particularly prominent" in patrolling the central zone of the pitch in the game, in addition lauding him for an "exquisite" tackle on Messi. Fabinho later described the game as the "biggest match" of his life and described the recitation of the 'You'll Never Walk Alone' anthem by the Anfield crowd as the "most defining moment" of his career. On 1 June, Fabinho started in the 2019 UEFA Champions League final against Tottenham Hotspur, playing the full 90 minutes as the club secured their sixth win in the competition and as Fabinho earned his first trophy with the club.

2019–20 season: Super Cup and Premier League victory


Fabinho started for Liverpool as the side finished as the runners-up to the 2019 FA Community Shield after a penalty shoot-out. On 14 August 2019, Fabinho played the full 90 minutes in the 2019 UEFA Super Cup against Chelsea, scoring Liverpool's second penalty in the shootout after regular time ended 2–2, in an eventual 5–4 win on penalties. On 27 October, he earned praise from the fans for his performance in a 2–1 win against Tottenham. Fabinho's first goal of the season came against Manchester City on 10 November, scoring an early long-ranged goal in an eventual 3–1 win.

On 27 November 2019, during a crucial Champions League match against Napoli, he suffered an early ankle injury after falling awkwardly during a challenge and was substituted after 18 minutes. Two days later, the club announced that the injury would keep Fabinho out of action until the start of 2020. On 21 December 2019, Fabinho won the 2019 FIFA Club World Cup after Liverpool beat Flamengo in the final. On 24 June 2020, Fabinho scored a long-range goal from more than thirty yards in a victory against Crystal Palace and was described by journalist Phil McNulty as a "complete operator" who "showed all sides of his game in what turned into a stroll". The same game, he provided a brilliant pass for Mohamed Salah to score and effectively settle the contest. Thus, Fabinho celebrated his 41st victory in what was his 50th Premier League appearance; only Didier Drogba, Arjen Robben, Ederson and Aymeric Laporte have won more of their opening 50 games in the competition. On 25 June 2020, Liverpool won the Premier League after Manchester City were defeated by Chelsea with a score of 2–1. Fabinho played a major part in Liverpool's 2019–20 Premier League title win that season.

2020–21 season: 100th appearance
Fabinho started for Liverpool as the side finished as the runners-up to the 2020 FA Community Shield after a penalty shoot-out in which he scored. During the 2020–21 season, Fabinho had to play as a centre-back due to the club's injury problems, one of which being the absence of key defender Virgil van Dijk for some time. On 20 September 2020, Fabinho was widely praised by analysts for a performance in a 0–2 victory against Chelsea in which he made more passes (90) and gained possession more times (12) than any other player. In a Champions League group stage match on 21 October 2020, Fabinho executed an overhead kick clearance off the goal-line to preserve a clean sheet for Liverpool as his side beat Ajax 1–0. Fabinho was voted as man of the match by users of BBC Sport, with manager Jürgen Klopp later stating that Fabinho "actually" enjoyed "[playing] the position". After again playing as a centre-back in a Premier League game against Wolverhampton Wanderers on 8 December 2020, Fabinho was praised by Alan Shearer, who called his defending "superb".

In December 2020, he made his 100th appearance for Liverpool. On 30 December 2020, Fabinho was named in football analyst Garth Crooks' Premier League team of the year along with teammates Sadio Mané, Jordan Henderson, Alisson Becker, Andrew Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold. It was calculated that Fabinho topped all Liverpool players for tackles (64) and interceptions (38) in Premier League games in 2020. On 3 August 2021, Fabinho signed a long-term contract with Liverpool until 2026. In this contract, Fabinho was rewarded with a large pay rise owing to gratitude from the Liverpool management for his impressive performances and contributions to Liverpool's recent success in all competitions.

2021–22 season: Further domestic and European success
On 12 September 2021, Fabinho scored his first goal of the season, tapping home from close range against Leeds United, the second in an eventual 3–0 win. On 9 January 2022, Fabinho scored his first goals in the FA Cup, scoring the second and fourth in a 4–1 third-round victory over Shrewsbury Town. On 13 February 2022, Fabinho scored again against Burnley from a corner to win the game. The goal was his fifth goal in his past seven games in all competitions. Liverpool won the FA Cup on 15 May 2022 by beating Chelsea in the final, which ended in a 0–0 draw after extra time with Liverpool winning 5–6 in the penalty shoot-out, although Fabinho was not in the matchday squad for the final owing to a hamstring injury. In addition, Fabinho also won the EFL Cup in the 2021–22 season, scoring a Panenka-style penalty in the shoot-out over Chelsea in the final on 27 February 2022. During the match, Fabinho won possession back nine times, the joint most alongside Virgil Van Dijk.

On 3 May 2022, in the 2021–22 UEFA Champions League semi-finals, Fabinho scored a goal against Villarreal though the legs of goalkeeper Gerónimo Rulli to aid Liverpool in progressing to the final. Fabinho later earned a runners-up medal in the Champions League, losing the final to Real Madrid with a scoreline of 0–1 on 28 May 2022, and was selected as part of the Team of the Season. Furthermore, Fabinho was also praised for his role in Liverpool's second-place finish in the Premier League, just a solitary point behind champions Manchester City. The 2021–22 season was also Fabinho's most prolific season at Liverpool in terms of goals scored. For his all-round performances in the season, Fabinho was awarded 14th place in the 2022 Ballon d'Or, joint with Rafael Leão of AC Milan. Liverpool narrowly missed out on the chance to achieve a historic quadruple, coming second in the Premier League and the 2021–22 UEFA Champions League but winning both the EFL Cup and the FA Cup.

2022–23 season: FA Community Shield victory


On 30 July 2022, Fabinho started for Liverpool in the club's 3–1 win over Manchester City in the FA Community Shield at the King Power Stadium. Fabinho was criticised by pundits for his performances through much of the 2022–23 season   before recording a string of improved performances in its final months as Liverpool were unbeaten in their last nine games. Fabinho was praised for authoritative and calm performances against Fulham on 3 May 2023 and against Brentford, when he also created the goal opportunity which led to the sole goal of the match, on 6 May 2023.

On 28 May, Fabinho assisted his teammate Roberto Firmino's last goal for Liverpool in a high-scoring draw against Southampton, Liverpool's last game of the season. At the end of the 2022–23 season, Liverpool narrowly missed out on UEFA Champions League qualification. In the preseason of the upcoming 2023–24 season, Fabinho was targeted by Nuno Espírito Santo of Al-Ittihad with a reported bid of £40 million. On 15 July, it was reported that he had departed from Liverpool's squad, who were travelling to a training camp in Germany. Amid reports that Bayern Munich had displayed interest in Fabinho, on 23 July 2023 it was reported that his transfer to Al-Ittihad had a chance of collapse owing to the fact that his French Bulldogs were prohibited from entering Saudi Arabia. Such speculation was dismissed as false by Fabinho's team and by various journalistic outlets. On 28 July 2023, it was a reported by journalist Fabrizio Romano that Fabinho had completed his medical for Al-Ittihad.

Al-Ittihad
On 31 July 2023, Fabinho officially joined Al-Ittihad on a three-year deal lasting until 2026. The deal was reportedly worth £40 million. Announcements were made by all parties involved. The fee paid by Al-Ittihad for the transfer of Fabinho was the fifth-largest sum ever paid to Liverpool for the departure of a player. Owing to the move, Fabinho joined his former manager Nuno Espírito Santo in Saudi Arabia. The transfer of Fabinho was one of a series of high-profile transfers to Al-Ittihad, with other notable players joining the Jeddah-based club including Karim Benzema, N'Golo Kante and Jota. Commenting on Fabinho's departure from Liverpool, Jürgen Klopp stated that he would "definitely" miss him. In the midst of the 2023–24 season, with the lack of a long-term option to succeed him in defensive midfield, it was suggested by journalist David Brindle that Fabinho's departure from the club could be a "big regret" for it.

On 14 August 2023, Fabinho made his first appearance for his new club in a commanding 3–0 victory against Al-Raed and was widely praised for his performance. Fabinho was later given a large Rolex watch by a Saudi journalist as a gift of thanks for his performance.

International career
Included in coach Dunga's 23-man squad for the 2015 Copa América in Chile, Fabinho made his debut in a warm-up match against Mexico on 7 June of that year, as a half-time substitute for Danilo in a 2–0 victory at Allianz Parque in São Paulo. With Dani Alves playing the entire tournament at right-back, Fabinho did not play at the Copa América, in which Brazil reached the quarter-finals. Fabinho was selected for Brazil's Copa América Centenario squad, although he did not play in any of Brazil's three matches at the tournament.

In June 2021, he was included in Brazil's squad for the 2021 Copa América on home soil.

On 7 November 2022, Fabinho was named in the squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. He served mainly as a back-up to Casemiro but was praised for the performances he made during the tournament.

Style of play
Fabinho is often regarded as one of the best defensive midfielders in the world, with Sky Sports pundit and former Manchester United player Gary Neville saying, "Fabinho... is the best." He is a robust, agile player who is valued for his ability to win back the ball in the midfield and recycle possession quickly. Fabinho can also provide long balls to wingers to advance play. His role as defensive midfielder sometimes requires him to drop further back to play as a third centre-back to cover for Liverpool's fullbacks Andrew Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold. Jürgen Klopp has commented that "Fab[inho] was for so long the insurance we [Liverpool] had more or less in midfield," and that he "always gave us [Liverpool] the freedom to play all the fancy stuff" despite being "involved in that from time to time as well".

Fabinho's vision and reading of the game are considered outstanding and have led to him being nicknamed 'The Lighthouse' by Liverpool assistant coach Pepijn Lijnders and his teammates. Such attributes have led sports journalist Jonathan Liew to call him a "midfielder whose superior reading of the game can occasionally offer the illusion of clairvoyance". Fabinho also has a pass completion rate which exceeds 90%. Moreover, Fabinho has earned himself the nickname "The Hoover" owing to the fact that he is adept in removing opposing teams' attacking threat on the field. Fabinho has also been called "the spine of the team [Liverpool]" by team-mate Virgil van Dijk. Furthermore, Fabinho has drawn praise for powerful and well-placed long-range goals as well as for being a reliable and precise penalty-kick taker. Fabinho cites Lionel Messi as the toughest opponent he has ever faced.

Reception
Fabinho has drawn praise for his ability and achievements from eminent footballing figures such as Michael Owen, Gary Neville, and Ronaldinho, with the latter calling him a "champion with Liverpool and a very important player for them [as well]" and somebody for whom he had the "utmost respect". Former Arsenal forward Thierry Henry has also stated that Fabinho's presence "calms everybody down" on the pitch, referring to Fabinho's effect on his teammates. Former Liverpool player Jamie Carragher has voiced his belief that as a man who could "win the ball" as well as he could "use it", Fabinho's introduction in the Liverpool side had raised the squad's quality. Paul Salt of BBC Radio Merseyside has voiced his belief that Fabinho has been "a great servant" to Liverpool. He has been named in The Guardian's list of the best 100 male footballers on five occasions: 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022.

Personal life
Fabinho married Rebeca Tavares in 2015, having been together since 2013. Rebeca was a professional footballer and initially played at a high level as an attacker in Spain, later signing for AS Monaco FF in January 2018 before retiring the same year to support her husband upon his move to Merseyside. The couple revealed Rebeca was pregnant with their first child in July 2022. Their son was born in January 2023, a son named Israel Tavares. Fabinho has referred to his son as his "little Scouser". Fabinho's father died in 2021.

Fabinho is often called 'Flaco', meaning 'skinny' in Spanish, by his teammates. 'Fab' is another nickname by which Fabinho is called. The Brazilian took Fabinho as his name because when he was in the Fluminense Under 20s, the coach, Marcelo Veiga, referred to him in this way to distinguish him from Fábio Braga. He later decided to keep "Fabinho" on his shirt instead of his given names because his mother recommended he do so. Fabinho is known to spend time with compatriots and teammates Alisson and Roberto Firmino as well as countrymen Ederson and Fred at their houses with their families. Previously, the group also spent time with Fernandinho and his family before they departed back to Brazil. Fabinho is Christian and is believed to be highly popular in Liverpool.

Honours
Monaco
 * Ligue 1: 2016–17

Liverpool
 * Premier League: 2019–20
 * FA Cup: 2021–22
 * EFL Cup: 2021–22
 * FA Community Shield: 2022
 * UEFA Champions League: 2018–19; runner-up: 2021–22
 * UEFA Super Cup: 2019

Brazil
 * Copa América runner-up: 2021

Individual
 * UEFA Champions League Team of the Season: 2021–22