Fábio Rochemback

Barcelona

Born in Soledade, Rio Grande do Sul, Rochemback began his career with nearby Sport Club Internacional before transferring to FC Barcelona in July 2001 at the age of 19. The transfer fee was 2.43 billion pesetas in three instalments (€15 million). Expected to be a replacement for the departure of long-serving captain Pep Guardiola, Rochemback played a more physical game than the latter, with a strong shot. He has been named as one of the worst players in the club's history, having played at one of their worst periods. In two full seasons at the Camp Nou he made 68 total appearances and scored four goals, most memorably a long-distance strike as a substitute in a 3–1 UEFA Champions League win away to Liverpool on 20 November 2001.

Loan to Sporting CP

In July 2003, Rochemback was loaned to Portugal's Sporting CP for a year, as part of the deal that saw Ricardo Quaresma move in the other direction for €10 million. In his second season in Lisbon, he helped the club to the final of the 2004–05 UEFA Cup, scoring a 30-metre free kick in a 2–1 win at Feyenoord in the second leg of the last 16, and wrapped up a 4–1 win over Newcastle United (4–2 aggregate) in the second part of the quarter-finals. In the final at the club's own Estádio José Alvalade he played the full 90 minutes of a 3–1 loss to PFC CSKA Moscow.

Middlesbrough

Having caught the eye of Middlesbrough manager Steve McClaren during a UEFA Cup game for Sporting earlier in the year,…

Rochemback earned seven caps for Brazil, all in competitions in 2001. He made his debut on 31 May in the team's 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup opener against Cameroon, replacing Vágner at half time in a 2–0 win; he played all five games as the team came fourth. Weeks later, he went to the 2001 Copa América in Colombia.

In 2011, police found birds used for cockfighting at a building owned by Rochemback in Soledade. In October 2017, he was arrested on further charges of involvement in the blood sport when evidence was found in Palmeira das Missões.

Sporting CP

UEFA Cup Runner-up: 2004–05 Middlesbrough

UEFA Cup Runner-up: 2005–06