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Whisked away from Brazil at the tender age of 18 before playing a single professional game, it is no surprise that the Monaco right-back Fabinho was until recently a virtual unknown in his homeland.
Now however, having been handed his international debut by Dunga and being reportedly targeted by Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea and Barcelona, the Brazilian public is starting to sit up and take notice of the 21-year-old.
Rapid rises are nothing unusual for South American youngsters, but Fabinho’s was quicker than most. At age 17 he still played for Paulínia in the Sāo Paulo state interior - by his 19th birthday he was sharing a dressing room with Cristiano Ronaldo and co at Real Madrid, having arrived via Fluminense and Portuguese outfit Rio Ave.
As the youngster told Globoesporte: “It was great to arrive at Fluminense, where the youth team was a showcase for me. I only made the bench for one senior game, then suddenly I was at the biggest club in the world, training alongside Kaka and [Angel] Di Maria.”
Fabinho made just one appearance for Real’s first team, providing an assist for Di Maria in a 6-2 thrashing of Malaga, and he was soon loaned out to newly moneyed Monaco, where he played 31 games as Claudio Ranieri’s side finished runners-up on their return to Ligue 1.
The youngster remained on loan in the principality last season, appearing 48 times as a vital cog in one of Europe’s most miserly defences - the Monaco back-line conceded just five goals in ten Champions League games and 26 in 38 matches in Ligue 1.
That record is an indication that Fabinho is not a full-back in the stereotypical Brazilian mould, who are often more interested in attacking than defending. And the key to the Paulista’s success has in fact been his defensive work.
With excellent reading of the game, perfect timing in the tackle and pace to burn, the youngster has proved a match for almost any winger he has come up against. But, unsurprisingly for a man who once idolised Cafu, he is not afraid to get forward and support the attack when opportunities present themselves.
In his own words: “I am strong in the tackle and I mark well. In Brazil I was known for being a full-back who knew how to defend. Now, in Europe, the support I give the attack is also highly valued.”
Fabinho’s performances last season earned him a full transfer to Monaco this summer, despite interest from some of Europe’s biggest clubs. And, as he proceeded to outclass some of the planet’s best wingers, folks back home also started to take notice of the youngster, who in March received his first call up to Brazil’s senior squad, where he watched from the bench as Dunga’s side beat France and Chile.
Despite strong competition at right-back, he was again called up for the Copa America, making his debut in the 2-0 Mexico friendly win before starting the subsequent friendly against Honduras.
That Fabinho did not appear at the Copa itself is perhaps no bad thing, given the level of Brazil’s performance. Now, with a World Cup on the horizon and Daniel Alves approaching retirement age, the battle between the Monaco man and new Real Madrid signing Danilo for the Seleçāo’s right-back slot is sure to be a fascinating one.
Written by Calum Leahy
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The end of June is always a busy time for gay pride parades. Amidst all the glitter and glamorous floats it’s easy to forget that gay pride events started out as protest marches – small groups of brave people fighting for equality and an end to criminalisation and discrimination.
It was on Saturday 28th June in 1969 that the Stonewall Inn (a gay bar on Manhattan in New York City) was raided by police, triggering a riot by the local gay community who were fed up with the intimidation and persecution that defined gay life at that time. An annual event was then held to commemorate the day that the gay community fought back.
Today there are pride celebrations in hundreds of cities in countries around the world. Each Pride event has its own unique local flavour, but generally there will be some kind of parade with some associated parties and cultural events. Most cities now actively support and encourage their annual gay pride festivals as a way to attract visitors and boost tourism revenue.
Marching in the parade you will see community groups, organisations, corporate supporters, and sports clubs – dressed up, carrying banners, being visible, being proud.
My water polo club, London Orca, marched in the London pride parade this year – as did most of the gay sports clubs that operate in the UK capital. For us it’s not about attracting new members (we’re already exceeding our capacity for new players), marching in the gay pride parade is about visibility.
When you’re making that tricky transition from your teenage years into adulthood, one of the complicating factors for young gay guys can be trying to work out what sort of gay you should be.
If you watch a gay pride parade, what hits you is the diversity of the marchers that are passing you by: The gay police officers; the drag queens; the gay military personnel; the leather daddies; the gay firefighters; the gays with children; and the sporty gays just to name a few.
There’s a lot that young gay guys can take away from watching a gay pride parade. I’d like to think that one important lesson is that you can be whatever sort of gay you want to be; that being gay doesn’t define who you are, it is simply one of the things that makes you who you are.
I’m a sporty guy. I like sports. I like playing sports. I’m a member of a water polo club. I’m also gay, and I’m proud of that too.
Written by Gareth Johnson
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According to reports, it seems certain that Manchester United will sign at least one of Morgan Schneiderlin, Bastian Schweinsteiger or Sergio Ramos this summer, as Louis Van Gaal prepares for his second season in charge of the English Premier League club.
The Dutch manager was set to retire from professional football before joining United, so that he could enjoy the benefits of family life away from the game. Instead, he will likely reach a milestone of three decades in professional management whilst an Old Trafford employee.
Van Gaal has already spoken about falling in love with the culture surrounding the game in England, praising the patience and loyalty of the fans and clearly relishing the opportunity to work in the world’s most popular and intensely scrutinized league.
But the 63 year-old will be desperate to preserve a career record that has seen him win a league title at every club he has managed. To do so at a club as steeped in history as United and particularly given the spectacular fall from grace experienced under his predecessor David Moyes, could arguably be his greatest achievement.
This is what makes the links to Schweinsteiger, Schneiderlin and Ramos so interesting: it reflects Van Gaal’s burning desire to wrest power in the English game away from Jose Mourinho at Chelsea, whilst supplanting the growing threat of Arsenal and Manchester City.
Ramos and Schweinsteiger would make for headline-grabbing acquisitions, both being highly decorated players. They have each won World Cups, European Cups and enjoy icon status at two of the biggest sporting institutions on the planet in Real Madrid and Bayern Munich respectively.
By comparison, Schneiderlin is yet to win any silverware and has been only a recent revelation at Southampton, a club that has enjoyed an eye-catching return to the English Premier League after time spent in the lower tiers of English football.
His importance to Southampton’s resurgence was recognized by France manager Didier Deschamps, who rewarded the 25 year-old by taking him to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
A reported price tag of £25 million pales in comparison to the valuation of Ramos, who could cost United between £40-70 million depending on which newspaper or internet article you read. Schweinsteiger, meanwhile, would command considerable wages in light his own illustrious CV.
The decision Van Gaal makes over which player to sign will give insight into the nature of the project he is building in Manchester.
Both Ramos and Schweinsteiger are ready built, battle-hardened veterans who will bring leadership quality and experience to a squad that seemed brittle despite massive investment at the beginning of last season.
Schweinsteiger is a player Van Gaal particularly trusts. They worked together with great success during the latter’s spell in charge of Bayern Munich, where Van Gaal convinced the wide midfielder to move into the middle of the park.
“Schweinsteiger never played there, so after two weeks of training sessions and two matches, he felt he could do more than ever,” the former Ajax boss told FIFA.com back in 2013.
Van Gaal all but admitted that the manner in which United faded last season – unable to maintain a title challenge – was the result of his players being unfamiliar and fatigued with his notoriously rigorous training methods. Schweinsteiger’s career was transformed by those very methods and in that respect he is the perfect candidate to walk into the current United squad and lead by example.
Schneiderlin, meanwhile, is a player who needs to be moulded and re-educated. He is five years younger than Schweinsteiger and about to enter a crucial phase of his professional career.
He represents an investment for the future, rather than a solution for the immediate present: there is no guarantee that he will be as effective as he has been at Southampton (Maroune Fellaini’s gradual adjustment after moving from Everton is testament to this).
Given Van Gaal has previously flirted with retirement, if he were to sign Schweinsteiger it might suggest that he is eager to win silverware immediately, rather than set himself for a long haul in Manchester. The same logic could be applied to a potential move for Ramos.
There is no doubt that both of these players would have an immediate and positive impact at United, potentially inspiring the club to silverware. Their reputation as winners is, after all, the reason they are so highly valued.
Schneiderlin however has youth on his side and it would be fascinating to see his brand of midfield play fostered by a club with a reputation for expansive, aggressive football.
Whether Van Gaal – or his employers – has the patience and energy for such a ploy is the pertinent question.
Written by Chris Paraskevas
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