Liverpool star Fabinho is renowned as one of the best in the world in his position, but he hasn't always been a midfielder.
In his early days at Monaco, the Brazilian typically played as a right-back. But it was the arrival of Djibril Sidibe, who eventually went out on loan to Everton, that resulted in him being moved further up the pitch by manager Leonardo Jardim.
“He [Jardim] was a very important coach in my career,” Fabinho told FourFourTwo magazine. “My first season with him at Monaco [2014-15], I still mainly played as a full-back, but then in a few games he started pushing me into midfield.
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“I remember him asking me during pre-season if I’d ever played in that position and I told him I had, so he played me there in a friendly and I was the best player on the pitch.
“Then, before the beginning of the 2016-17 season, Jardim called me for a chat and told me, ‘Listen, I’ve signed Djibril Sidibe to play in your role – from now on, I want you to play as a defensive midfielder.' Considering my situation with the national team, plus the smaller pool of top-quality full-backs, I thought it was a negative change.
“It was tough. Everybody knew me as a full-back and I was a regular for the national team there – my agents, and I suppose me to begin with, weren’t happy at all with the situation. I accepted the challenge because I knew I could adapt.
“Looking back, though, that was a life-changing moment. Jardim helped me a lot, and that season we won the Ligue 1 title and reached the Champions League semi-finals. I was in the form of my life and ended up moving to Liverpool as a midfielder.
“It definitely proved to be the right decision.”
Fabinho and Monaco went on to win the Ligue 1 title that season and he was later linked with a move to England, but Manchester United were the club pushing for his signature.
At the end of the 2017/18 season, it was Liverpool that acted swiftly to secure the £43m signing ahead of their rivals. Fabinho has gone on to establish himself as one of the best defensive midfielder in the game and has played an integral part of the Reds' success over the last few years.
