It seems unfathomable now that there was a time when Fabinho flinched at the thought of being a defensive midfielder.
Widely acknowledged as one of world football’s finest current operators in the position, the Brazilian has been an integral figure in Liverpool’s success since he joined the club from AS Monaco in the summer of 2018.
Five major trophies have been collected during his spell at Anfield to date, but his career could have panned out completely differently had he not trusted the instincts and foresight of Leonardo Jardim, his former coach at Monaco.
“He was a very important coach in my career,” Fabinho explained to FourFourTwo magazine in a recent interview.