‘We fought to achieve our dreams’: Fabinho on Diogo Jota and leaving Liverpool

Fabinho attended Diogo Jota’s funeral unable to believe it was all true. His Portuguese friend, with whom he played for three years at Liverpool, had died in a tragic accident alongside André Silva, his brother. The Brazilian found himself reflecting extensively on life and how everything can be lost in a fleeting moment.

“It was very difficult to absorb because he had a routine and a life just like mine,” Fabinho says. “When that happens, you put yourself in that situation. We’ve lived through a period together. We fought to achieve our dreams. Professional dreams, but personal dreams too. We had a lot in common. And then you think about it. There’s no way round it. It makes you think that life is but a breath.”

Fabinho is talking from Spain, preparing with Al-Ittihad for his third season in the Saudi Pro League. Since joining the Portuguese club Rio Ave at the age of 18, he has lived outside Brazil. Over the following 13 years, he has become accustomed to the rhythms of travelling and working in football, but Jota’s death has changed his outlook.

“Whether you like it or not, you start to appreciate the details of your life,” he says. “I’m a guy who tries to make the most of the life I have with my family. I’m very grateful to God. But when something like this happens, you start to value even more what really matters.”

At Liverpool Fabinho enjoyed the most successful years of his career. He won the Champions League in his first campaign and was again a key player the following season as the club secured a first top-flight title in 30 years. Leaving in 2023 was not easy.

“Liverpool is a sensational club that helps us with everything,” he says. “Not just on the pitch but in your life too. Everything they’ve done for me and my family has been spectacular; I’ve never seen anything like it. Everywhere you go, not only in England, the supporters show a lot of love for the club and the players.”

View image in fullscreen Diogo Jota and Fabinho were teammates for three seasons. Photograph: Peter Byrne/PA

Fabinho’s departure surprised many. First, because of his perceived importance: he made 219 appearances in five years, almost always as a first choice. Second, because it was not common for high-profile players to leave the Premier League for Saudi Arabia. He details, for the first time, what influenced his decision.

“I didn’t want to leave the club and go to any other club in Europe,” he says. “I thought it was the best place in the world to play, to keep developing as a player. I wanted my legacy and my history at the club to grow even more but our last season was very gruelling, tiring. We didn’t do well and failed to qualify for the Champions League. I lost my position as a starter for a few games, but that happens.

“I came back for the following season, even though the previous one hadn’t been good, with a very good mentality and wanting to fight for the Premier League title again. But before the season started, Al-Ittihad made an offer for me and the Liverpool directors said it was very good for the club and for me. I was afraid and decided to wait to see what [the coaching staff] would say. I thought I was an important player and that they would refuse any offer, but I realised that the club was open to selling me.”

Fabinho next asked Jürgen Klopp for his thoughts. The manager was a huge admirer, to the point that he had described Fabinho as one of the best No 6s in the world and criticised Tite for rarely using him for Brazil. The conversation they had came as a disappointment.

“He called me and asked me what I wanted,” Fabinho says. “I said that I’d heard the offer and liked it but that I wanted to hear from him what he thought. He said that if there are any players who want to leave, he won’t hold them back. It was a speech that kind of opened the door for me to leave. That conversation with the coach could have kept me at the club but he left it open and I didn’t like it very much. I always like to do a prayer before I make my decisions. Liverpool is a club I love but the things that happened at the time steered my life towards Arabia. I left in peace and happy with my decision.”

View image in fullscreen ‘When people ask me who is my best coach I already had, I always say the coach I’ve won the most with. And that’s Klopp.’ Photograph: Pedro Nunes/Reuters

At Al-Ittihad, Fabinho has not lost his golden touch. In May a player who helped Monaco to a first league win in 17 years and was part of Liverpool’s long-awaited Premier League triumph celebrated the title with the Jeddah-based club, coached by Laurent Blanc. He last played for Brazil in December 2022 but dreams of a call-up from Carlo Ancelotti.

“My goal is to play in the [2026] World Cup,” the 31-year-old says. “I’m working towards it. I performed very well last season. That made me very happy and I was able to show myself that I still have a lot of quality and that I can help the Brazilian national team.”

Fabinho is also looking to the future and thinking about coaching. “I’m starting to take a more boring view of football. Boring isn’t the word; I think it’s more demanding. When you want to win, you have to be more demanding. I’m very demanding, I’ve had a lot of experience in my career and what has always helped me is my tactical vision and my game reading.

“It’s something I enjoy. I like watching games, observing and studying. I don’t know if this will make me a coach, but it’s something I really like and want to work on. I’m going to do a course to become a coach. I started to study it when I was at Liverpool but I didn’t finish. I’m going to prepare for that. Whether or not I go on [to coach professionally], that’s another story.”

He has role models to draw from if it comes to it. Despite not liking that chat with Klopp, the German remains his inspiration. “I really like Klopp’s idea, with his style that many people say is like rock’n’roll. It’s the style I’ve most enjoyed playing and watching. I have always been impressed by Tite as well. His set pieces are very good, he’s a coach who works a lot on the details. Today, with Blanc, I like the relationship he has with the players. He knows how to manage a team. But when people ask me who is my best coach I already had, I always say the coach I’ve won the most with. And that’s Klopp.”

Fabinho has a year on his contract and extending that deal is among the possibilities under consideration. “I’m happy at Al-Ittihad, I really like here,” he says. “The Brazilian league is also an option – it is getting stronger and stronger – but I also want to go back to Europe. I want to play and fight for another Champions League title. The Premier League is still the best league in the world, but I think I’d prioritise another country that I haven’t had the chance to play in yet.”

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