LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Saturday, April 2, 2022: Liverpool's Fabio Henrique Tavares 'Fabinho' celebrates after scoring the second goal during the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Watford FC at Anfield. Liverpool won 2-0. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

Fabinho explains the story behind his name – “I have Fluminense to thank”

You may or may not have known, but Fabinho is not the real name of Liverpool’s No. 3, it is instead a nickname that stuck.

Fabinho is all Liverpool fans have known when it comes to referring to their Brazilian midfielder, but it has not always been the case.

The 29-year-old was born Fabio Henrique Tavares in Campinas, Brazil, and would later become the latest South American player to use a nickname – but it was not originally his doing.

He started his career with Fluminense and it was in their youth ranks where ‘Fabinho‘ was born, all thanks to another player with the same first name and a coach who wanted to make life easier.

“I have Fluminense to thank for my name,” Fabinho wrote for The Players’ Tribune. “In the Under 20s there were two Fabios. Me and Fabio Braga.

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Saturday, May 6, 2023: Brentford's Ivan Toney (R) and Liverpool's Fabio Henrique Tavares 'Fabinho' during the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Brentford FC at Anfield. Liverpool won 1-0. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

“So one day our coach, Marcelo Veiga, says, ‘Every time I call Fabio, you both look round, so from now on you are Fabinho!’

“And that was it. From that moment on, I became Fabinho!

“When I saw that first shirt with my name and number printed on it, I was like – woah, this is crazy.”

Despite making the move to Europe in 2012 as an 18-year-old, joining Rio Ave and later Real Madrid, Monaco and Liverpool, the name Fabinho has adorned every shirt.

It was perhaps helpful when coming across another Fabio at Anfield following the signing of Fabio Carvalho last summer!

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Saturday, August 27, 2022: Liverpool's Roberto Firmino (C) celebrates with team-mates Fábio Carvalho (L) and Fabio Henrique Tavares 'Fabinho' (R) after scoring the seventh goal during the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and AFC Bournemouth at Anfield. Liverpool won 9-0. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

Fabinho has carved out quite the career with the name on his back, as for what came of Fabio Braga, he went on to play the majority of his football in Brazil before starting a management company.

The No. 3 is not the only Red with an interesting back story regarding the name on the back of his shirt, Diogo Jota has one while Alexis Mac Allister‘s origins have been explained too.