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Date of Birth: Monday, September 24, 1979
Birth Place: Brazil
Height: 178cm
Position: Defender
Former Clubs/Teams: Valencia CF, São Paulo FC

Biography

Fabio Aurelio is a defender who plays for Liverpool in the English Premier League. He can play as a left midfielder, but is more often used as a left back, though that doesn’t stop him from getting forwards. He has a fantastic left-foot, which he can put to deadly effect from set-pieces. He has represented Brazil numerous times, including an Olympic campaign, but has been overlooked more recently.

Childhood

Fabio Aurelio was born on 24th September 1979 in Sao Carlos, Brazil. He was brought up in the vicinity of Sao Paulo, and his childhood dreams revolved around playing in their famous white shirts. He was taken on by the Sao Paulo academy (an hour drive from his home) at the age of 13, and was fast-tracked into the first-team.

Early Career

Fabio Aurelio made his debut for Sao Paulo in 1997. Some fantastic performances as a technically-gifted but ferocious left-back led to call ups to the Brazil U-21 team, and his full international debut in 1999. His Sao-Paulo Championship winning form did not go unnoticed by the larger European sides, and Rafa Benitez at Valencia seemed his keenest admirer – he moved across for £4m after appearing in the Sydney Olympics.

It was at the Spanish club that Fabio enjoyed some of his most accomplished games, and he soon became a fixture in the Primera Liga ‘Team of the Season’ at left-back. Valencia were able to use Aurelio’s defensive nature to cover for Pablo Aimar, who was given a free-role in left-midfield.

Aurelio was a key member of the title winning Valencia side in 01/02 and 03/04, when Valencia punched above their weight to take on Barcelona and Real Madrid. Aurelio’s most triumphant moment was lifting the UEFA Cup in 2004.

Current Club

Rafa Benitez was looking for a top-quality left-back, and returned to his former club to take Fabio Aurelio to Anfield. Aurelio appreciated the trust that Benitez had given him, and agreed the transfer on July 6th 2006.

Two seasons of stop-start through injury led to Aurelio questioning his own ability, but in 08/09 he had once again established himself in the first team – helped by the departure of John Arne Riise to Roma.

International

In spite of some superb performances for Valencia and Liverpool over the years, Fabio Aurelio has not managed to add to his international caps since leaving Brazil. He was selected for the national side, and was a bright prospect when he played for Brazil in 1999 and the 2000 Sydney Olympics, but his move to Europe seems to have cost him. Brazilians based in their home-country, such as Felipe, were preferred for the Copa America matches, whilst Roberto Carlos and Cleber were always regarded as the best left-backs playing outside of Brazil.