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Moving to Real Madrid is one of the biggest moves any football player can make.
It’s one of the biggest clubs in the world, with one of the largest fan bases, where there’s a generational team-mate everywhere you look.
First impressions count, then, but they don’t always go to plan.
Fabinho tells embarrassing first-meet story with Jose Mourinho
Former Liverpool man Fabinho signed for Real Madrid Castilla, the Spanish club’s second team, on loan from Portuguese side Rio Ave in 2012, and went on to play 30 games for them.
He even got a game for the first team, in a victory over Malaga in La Liga – a great comeback for the Brazilian given his first contact with the boss: Jose Mourinho.
On his day, there weren't many better around than Fabinho at Liverpool! 💪pic.twitter.com/2dcXHeEW2bAugust 1, 2023
“I arrived in Madrid, went to the hotel to sleep, and in the morning someone knocked on my door,” Fabinho tells FourFourTwo. “I had no idea who it was, perhaps someone from the hotel.
“But it was Jose Mourinho with my agent.
“I was so unprepared that I answered the door in my underwear – I remember apologising for opening the door like that! He laughed and just wanted to welcome me to Real Madrid.”
It certainly wasn’t an ideal start, but it didn’t prove detrimental to Fabinho ticking off a huge dream in playing for Madrid.
“To play in La Liga and make my debut wearing the Real Madrid shirt, that’s a dream for a lot of people.
“And I was able to contribute directly to a goal, which made it even more special.
“Playing at the Bernabeu for the first time was an unforgettable night, and I was able to come on with great peace of mind, because the team was already winning comfortably.”
It was a bucket list moment ticked off for the young Fabinho, but it never quite worked out at Madrid, with him later going on loan, then staying permanently, with Monaco, before moving to Liverpool for the most notable stint of his career.
Nevertheless, from Los Blancos he certainly learnt a valuable lesson in how not to greet your new boss.
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