4 weeks ago
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Exclusive TM interview
©IMAGO
There are players who go years and years without winning any major trophies in their careers. This is not the case with Fabinho. A Ligue 1 champion with Monaco, a Premier League champion with Liverpool and a Saudi Pro League champion with Al Ittihad, the Brazilian seems to have the formula for success, especially in teams that have not won a league title in many years. In an exclusive interview with Transfermarkt, the Al Ittihad midfielder spoke about his trophy haul, his love and admiration for Liverpool, the possibility of returning to Brazil, and paid tribute to Jürgen Klopp.
"There is no secret or formula for being a champion. The only secret is to play with great players like I had alongside me at Monaco, Liverpool and now at Al Ittihad," Fabinho told Transfermarkt's reporter in Brazil, Thiago Rabelo. "It's about gelling as a team, working hard and having winning players with a winning mentality. That's what we have today. We have Benzema, who is tired of winning titles at Real Madrid, and Kanté, who has won everything. I have my titles. Danilo won everything in Portugal and France. That helps a lot. When the decisive moment arrives, that most difficult moment when you need to win, experience helps."
Winning trophies and working with Jürgen Klopp
It was with Fabinho in midfield that Liverpool ended their 30-year-wait to win the Premier League. The last title before the 2019/20 triumph was in the 1989/90 season. It was also with Fabinho that Monaco ended their 17-year wait to win Ligue 1. Fabinho's contract with Al Ittihad expires in June 2026. For now, he has no plans for the future, but admits that his reputation as a drought-breaker could be an attraction for a new club next season. "It may be a coincidence that my drought ended, but it's also a lot of hard work," says the Brazilian. "We'll talk during the season with my agent and the club about the future. I'm happy at Al Ittihad. I really like it here. Three years go by very quickly. When you blink, it's gone. A lot of things will come up and I'm in no rush. I don't want to decide anything now. We'll see what happens."
Regarding his reputation for breaking droughts, Fabinho prefers to credit the work done by the management and also by one coach who had the biggest impact on his career: Jürgen Klopp. "At Liverpool, I didn't get involved in Klopp's work from the start. When I arrived, it was time to reap the rewards. It was a very good moment for the team." In addition to the titles, Fabinho has more reasons to thank Jurgen Klopp. With Klopp at Liverpool, Fabinho played 219 games, scoring 11 goals and providing 11 assists. "I really like Klopp's style of play, which many call 'rock 'n' roll'. It's the style I most enjoyed playing and also watching. He also had a very fatherly side, a very good relationship with the players. He was a great motivator, a very intense guy. He knows how to convey his ideas well. I think that's his best quality," praised the Brazilian.
Tributes to Diogo Jota
This summer the footballing world woke up to the tragic news that Liverpool forward Diogo Jota, and his brother Andre Silva had passed away in a car crash. Fabinho played 98 games alongside Jota at Liverpool and admits the news hit him hard: "To tell you the truth, it's still hard to believe it happened. I remember when he arrived at Liverpool from Wolves. Because I also speak Portuguese, I tried to help him as much as possible with his arrival. Over time, his wife became good friends with my wife.
"Our relationship was really good. In everyday life, he liked to hang out with the English. We even joked that he wasn't Portuguese, that he was English because he liked hanging out with the English so much. He was a really good guy, a hard worker. Unfortunately, now all that's left are memories and our prayers for his family and his wife. This pain is incomparable. He was a very simple guy. He didn't care about designer clothes or cars. He didn't care about that. Look where he came from and how he grew in life. He always fought hard to earn his place. The image I have of him is of a hard worker, a warrior."
Missing Liverpool
Two years after leaving Liverpool, Fabinho still misses the connection he had with the Reds' fanbase. Even from a distance, he follows the club's games closely and cheers for the friends he left behind in the team currently coached by Arne Slot. "I always watch and cheer for my friends who are at the club. I always wish Liverpool success. To this day, I receive many messages of affection from the fans, whether on the streets or on social media. That's really cool. They take 'you'll never walk alone' seriously. If you've ever played for Liverpool, they'll follow you and cheer for you wherever you go.
"The messages I receive most are from people who say they miss me, lots of messages with 'you'll never walk alone'. They post them directly on my social media. But a lot of people also talk about my goal against Manchester City and ask for photos. City were our biggest rivals at the time. The title race was always with them. We only beat them once, but we came within a point of winning twice. That game where I scored was the best game we played for Liverpool. We rarely dominated them as we did that day, and I think it was my best goal for Liverpool."
The victory mentioned by Fabinho is the 3-1 win against Manchester City on November 10, 2019. The Brazilian opened the scoring in the sixth minute before Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane extended the lead, with the Citizens scoring a late consolation goal through Bernardo Silva. The three points were crucial for the team to gain confidence and keep up the chase for the title against City. Despite all the talk about the goal against Manchester City and the Premier League title, Fabinho's favourite goal is the one he scored against Villarreal in the semi-final of the 2021/2022 Champions League.
"The most important one for me is the one against Villarreal in the Champions League semi-final," Fabinho admits. "We were losing 2-0 and I scored the goal to make it 2-1. That gave our team a new lease of life and we managed to turn that game around. I think it was my most important goal." The Champions League has always been a recurring topic of conversation among the players. During his five years at Liverpool, Fabinho became close friends with Fernandinho, a former Manchester City player. Despite the rivalry between the clubs, the two met frequently - the distance between the two cities is 56 kilometres - and discussed the difficulty of playing in the Premier League and the Champions League.
"I talked a lot with Fernandinho when he played for Manchester City," Fabinho reveals. "He explained that it was difficult to win the Champions League because when they reached the quarter-finals, they couldn't handle the intensity of the games anymore. They were already exhausted from the season, the intensity of the Premier League games and the schedule. The teams reinforced their squads, but everyone knows who the starters are. The wear and tear is really great. Today, players have to be much more athletic to keep up with the level and intensity of the game."
