Ex-Sporting player regrets joining Real Madrid: it was a mistake | OneFootball

Five years tied to Real Madrid and not a single official match for the Spanish giants. That is one of the most striking facts of Rodrigo Fabri's spell at the merengue club, an experience that the former Sporting player now admits could have turned out differently. At 21, in 1998, the Brazilian left Portuguesa and chose the Spanish capital.

The former midfielder explained that Real Madrid’s historic stature ended up weighing heavily in his decision, but he now admits his career could have taken a different path: "Roma and Deportivo La Coruña, who were in great form at the time, also wanted to sign me, but I chose Real Madrid because of its history and greatness. After all this time, it is clear that my choice was a mistake, but at that moment, I was convinced of my decision," he told newspaper 'As'.

Fabri arrived in Spain after making a name for himself in Brazil and being called up by Zagallo for the 1997 Copa América, where he shared the dressing room with names such as Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Romário, Bebeto, Mauro Silva, Cafú and Roberto Carlos. Expectations were high, but the reality was very different from what he had imagined.

With no room in the team, he ended up going out on loan to several clubs. Flamengo, Santos, Valladolid, Sporting and Grêmio were part of that journey, and it was at Alvalade that he had one of his most productive spells: he played 30 matches for the Lions, scored four goals and provided six assists.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.