Luís Fabiano

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Luís Fabiano

Personal information
Full name	Luís Fabiano Clemente
Date of birth	8 November 1980 (1980-11-08) (age 28)
Place of birth	Campinas, Brazil
Height	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Playing position	Striker
Club information
Current club	Sevilla
Number	10
Senior career1
Years	Club	Apps (Gls)2
1997–2000	Ponte Preta	012 0(3)
2000–2001	Stade Rennais	011 0(0)
2001–2004	São Paulo	084 (62)
2004–2005	Porto	022 0(3)
2005–	Sevilla	105 (47)
National team3
2003–	Brazil	031 (22)
1 Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of April 20, 2009. 2 Appearances (Goals). 3 National team caps and goals correct as of June 21, 2009

Luís Fabiano Clemente (born 8 November 1980 in Campinas, São Paulo), commonly known as Luís Fabiano, is a Brazilian football player, who currently plays for Sevilla as a striker.

 Club career

 Early career

He enjoyed great success at Brazilian side São Paulo, with a disappointing spell at French side Rennes sandwiched in between.^[1] His strength on the ball, accurate finishing and pace made him a vital part of the side that fell in the semi-finals of the 2004 Copa Libertadores de América. Fabiano was labeled the 'bad boy' of Brazilian football when playing for São Paulo after a number of brawls. During a 2003 Copa Sudamericana match for São Paulo against River Plate of Argentina, a fight between the players broke out. Fabiano ran behind a River player and kicked him just below the neck. While being escorted off the field, Fabiano said that "he would rather attack an Argentine than take a penalty"^[2] He was given a three-match ban from all competitions.

Porto

Fabiano moved to Porto in 2004 for a reported €10 million. There, Fabiano reunited with his international teammate Diego, who he played with in Copa América 2004.^[3] However, he had a troublesome season, scoring only 3 goals in 22 matches. This led to Fabiano being transfered to La Liga side Sevilla.

 Sevilla

On 10 May 2006, Fabiano scored a header during Sevilla's 4–0 victory over Middlesbrough in the UEFA Cup final. The success continued in the 2007–08 season, as Fabiano finished runner-up in the Pichichi Trophy with 24 goals, with 2 of them scored came from the penalty spot, second only to Dani Güiza with a total of 27 goals. This led to Fabiano being recalled to the Seleção. On November 29, Fabiano was sent off for an elbow foul on Barcelona's Sergi Busquets. He had to be restrained by the Sevilla staff.^[4] In 2009, Fabiano extended his contract with Sevilla to 2011.^[5]

On 4 July 2009, AC Milan made an official offer for the Brazilian according to the striker's agent and Fabiano has reportedly pleaded with his club Sevilla to allow him to make the switch to the San Siro.^[6]

International career

Fabiano made his début for Brazil on June 11, 2003 in a friendly match against Nigeria. He marked his international debut with a goal before being substituted. He was also included in Brazil's squad for 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup, but did not make any appearances.

He won the Copa América 2004 tournament with Brazil, where he started in all five matches alongside fellow striker, Adriano. However, due to his struggle in Europe with Porto and Sevilla, he did not make any international appearances for more than 3 years. He was finally recalled to the national team on November 2007 for a World Cup qualifying match. Since then, he earned a regular starting spot on Brazil's attack alongside Robinho. On November 19, 2008, Fabiano scored his first international hat-trick in a friendly match against Portugal in Brasília. The match ended in 6–2 to Brazil.^[7]

On June 28, 2009, he scored two goals in the Confederations Cup final win against the United States.^[8] He won the golden shoe as the tournament's top scorer with 5 goals.^[9]