Luís Fabiano

Luís Fabiano Clemente (born 8 November 1980), commonly known as Luís Fabiano, is a retired Brazilian professional footballer who played as a striker most notably for Sevilla, São Paulo, and the Brazil national team. He is a prolific goalscorer and was ranked the second-highest-scoring Brazilian of the 21st century, according to the International Federation of Football History & Statistics.

Club career

Early career

Luís Fabiano enjoyed great success during two spells with Brazilian side São Paulo, with a disappointing period at French side Rennes sandwiched in between. 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.

Luís 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. Luís Fabiano ran behind a River player and kicked him just below the neck. While being escorted off the field, Luís Fabiano said that he "would rather fight than take a penalty". He was given a three-match ban from all competitions.

Porto

Luís Fabiano moved to Portugal to play for Porto in 2004 for a €1.875 million transfer fee; Porto, however, only bought 25% of his rights, the other 75% belonging to Global Soccer Investments (later renamed to Rio Football Services). At Porto, Luís Fabiano was reunited with his international teammate Diego, who he played with on the Brazil squad at the 2004 Copa América. Luís Fabiano had a troublesome season, however, scoring only three goals in 22 matches. This led to him being transferred to La Liga side Sevilla.