Fabio (footballer, born 1990) facts for kids
Fabio playing for Cardiff City in 2014
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Fabio Pereira da Silva | ||
| Date of birth | 9 July 1990 | ||
| Place of birth | Petrópolis, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | ||
| Height | 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Full-back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2005–2008 | Fluminense | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2008–2014 | Manchester United | 22 | (1) |
| 2012–2013 | → Queens Park Rangers (loan) | 21 | (0) |
| 2014–2016 | Cardiff City | 65 | (1) |
| 2016–2018 | Middlesbrough | 48 | (1) |
| 2018–2022 | Nantes | 85 | (0) |
| 2023–2024 | Grêmio | 26 | (0) |
| International career | |||
| 2007 | Brazil U17 | 13 | (10) |
| 2011 | Brazil | 2 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 14:19, 29 January 2024 (UTC) | |||
Fabio Pereira da Silva (born on July 9, 1990), known simply as Fabio, is a Brazilian former professional footballer. He played as a full-back. His last team was the Brazilian club Grêmio.
Fabio and his twin brother Rafael started their football journeys at Fluminense in Brazil. They were then signed by the English club Manchester United in February 2007. Unlike his brother, Fabio found it harder to secure a regular spot in the Manchester United first team. After a loan period with Queens Park Rangers in 2012–13, he moved permanently to Cardiff City in January 2014.
Fabio played for the Brazilian national team twice at the senior level. Both appearances were in 2011. In the same year, he played for Manchester United in the UEFA Champions League Final against Barcelona. He also won the Premier League title with Manchester United that season.
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Fabio's Early Life and Football Start
Fabio was born in Petrópolis, a city about an hour's drive from Rio de Janeiro. He started playing football when he was five years old. He and his identical twin brother, Rafael, often played five-a-side games in their city.
A scout from Fluminense noticed them. This gave them the chance to play for the club. They moved to the club's training center at Xerém when they were just 11 years old.
Fabio's Club Career Journey
Starting at Fluminense
Fabio began his football career as a defensive midfielder for his local club, Boa Esperança. However, when he joined Fluminense, he changed his position to left back. While playing for Fluminense, Fabio took part in the 2005 Nike Premier Cup in Hong Kong.
There, a scout from Manchester United, Les Kershaw, spotted him. Kershaw thought the twins were very fast and skillful. He called Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson and suggested the club sign the Da Silva twins.
Manchester United contacted Fluminense and asked if the twins could train with them in 2005. The twins later decided to sign with Manchester United instead of Arsenal. The two clubs agreed on a deal in February 2007. The twins moved to Manchester in January 2008, even though they had not yet played for Fluminense's main team.
Playing for Manchester United
Fabio signed with Manchester United in February 2007. However, he could not officially play for the club until his 18th birthday on July 9, 2008. He made his first appearance for Manchester United in a friendly match on August 4, 2008. He came on as a substitute in a 2–0 win against Peterborough United.
His performance in that game was highly praised. Fabio played in eight matches for the club's reserve team, scoring five goals. This included three goals in one game against Rochdale in March 2009. His official debut for the first team was delayed because of a shoulder injury that needed surgery.
Fabio finally made his competitive debut on January 24, 2009. It was in an FA Cup match against Tottenham Hotspur, which United won 2–1. He had to leave the game early due to a calf injury. Fabio's Premier League debut was on August 16, 2009, against Birmingham City.
On October 21, Fabio played his first UEFA Champions League game. It was a 1–0 win against CSKA Moscow. Sir Alex Ferguson was happy with Fabio's performance. On April 1, 2010, Fabio signed a new contract with Manchester United until June 2014.
Fabio scored his first goal for United on February 26, 2011, in a 4–0 win against Wigan Athletic. Two weeks later, he scored again in an FA Cup match against Arsenal. On May 28, 2011, Fabio started in the UEFA Champions League Final against Barcelona. United lost the match 3–1.
In April 2012, Sir Alex Ferguson announced that Fabio would go on loan for the 2012–13 season. This was to help him get more experience playing in the first team.
Loan to Queens Park Rangers
On July 2, 2012, Fabio joined Queens Park Rangers (QPR) on loan for the 2012–13 season. He made his debut for QPR on August 18 against Swansea City. Fabio scored his first goal for QPR in an FA Cup match against Milton Keynes Dons.
Moving to Cardiff City
After returning to Manchester United for the 2013–14 season, Fabio played only three times. His last game was an FA Cup match against Swansea City in January 2014. Fabio was sent off with a red card in that game.
Later that month, Manchester United manager David Moyes accepted an offer from Cardiff City for Fabio. The transfer was completed on January 29, 2014. He made his debut for Cardiff City in a win against Norwich City. Fabio then became a regular player for the team.
However, Cardiff was relegated from the Premier League at the end of that season. This meant they would play in the Championship the next year. Fabio was a regular starter at the beginning of the next season. Cardiff struggled, and their manager was replaced.
During the 2015–16 season, Fabio became a favorite among Cardiff fans. He had some impressive performances. He also scored his first goal in two years, a powerful shot from far away against Middlesbrough.
Fabio missed the first game of the next season. Cardiff's manager then announced that Fabio was in talks to move to Middlesbrough.
Time at Middlesbrough
On August 12, 2016, Fabio joined Middlesbrough, a team that had just been promoted to the Premier League. He signed a two-year contract. He scored his first goal for Middlesbrough in an EFL Cup game against Scunthorpe United on August 22, 2017.
Playing for Nantes
On July 18, 2018, Fabio joined Ligue 1 team Nantes in France. He signed a three-year contract with them.
Fabio's International Career
Brazil Under-17 Team
Fabio played for the Brazilian national under-17 team. He was the captain of the Brazil team for the 2007 FIFA U-17 World Cup. In that tournament, he scored two goals, making him one of the team's top scorers. Even though he was a defender, he scored a total of 10 goals in his 13 games for the under-17 team.
Brazil Senior Squad
In September 2011, Fabio was playing very well for Manchester United. Because of this, he was chosen to be part of the Brazil senior squad. He was called up for matches against Costa Rica and Mexico in October 2011.
Fabio's Playing Style
Fabio, along with his brother Rafael, was known for his energetic way of playing. His former manager at Manchester United, Sir Alex Ferguson, called him an "excellent footballer." Les Kershaw, the scout who discovered them, said they were like "two little whippets." He praised how they would get up quickly after being tackled.
The Times newspaper compared them to the "Neville brothers," referring to famous English defenders Gary and Phil Neville. Because of his strong attacking skills, some thought Fabio could even play in midfield instead of just defense.
Fabio's Personal Life
Fabio's twin brother, Rafael, is also a professional footballer. Both twins signed for Manchester United at the same time in 2008. Their older brother, Luiz Henrique Pereira da Silva, also played football.
Fabio was married at age 18 to Barbara, who moved to England with him. Sir Alex Ferguson used Fabio's wedding ring to tell the twins apart. Even though they started their careers at Fluminense, both Fabio and Rafael actually support Fluminense's local rivals, Botafogo.
Career Statistics
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | League Cup | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Manchester United | 2008–09 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 2009–10 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 0 | ||
| 2010–11 | 11 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 25 | 2 | ||
| 2011–12 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 0 | ||
| 2013–14 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | ||
| Total | 22 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 16 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 56 | 3 | ||
| Queens Park Rangers (loan) | 2012–13 | Premier League | 21 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 23 | 1 | ||
| Cardiff City | 2013–14 | Premier League | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 13 | 0 | |||
| 2014–15 | Championship | 30 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 30 | 0 | ||||
| 2015–16 | 22 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 25 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 65 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 68 | 1 | ||||
| Middlesbrough | 2016–17 | Premier League | 24 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 0 |
| 2017–18 | Championship | 24 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 2 | |
| Total | 48 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | — | — | 55 | 2 | ||||
| Nantes | 2018–19 | Ligue 1 | 20 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 25 | 0 | ||
| 2019–20 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 10 | 0 | ||||
| 2020–21 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | 22 | 0 | ||||
| 2021–22 | 27 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | 30 | 0 | |||||
| 2022–23 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 82 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | 91 | 0 | |||
| Career total | 238 | 3 | 20 | 2 | 16 | 2 | 16 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 293 | 7 | ||
Fabio's Football Achievements
Manchester United
- Premier League: 2010–11
- FA Community Shield: 2010
- UEFA Champions League runner-up: 2010–11
Nantes
- Coupe de France: 2021–22
Grêmio
- Campeonato Gaúcho: 2023, 2024
- Recopa Gaúcha: 2023
Brazil U17
- South American U-17 Championship: 2007
See also
In Spanish: Fábio da Silva para niños
