What really happened to ex-Middlesbrough star Fabio Rochemback after his bizarre arrest? | OneFootball

The Brazilian's post-Boro career is certainly unique

Fabio Rochemback was one of the more memorable characters of Middlesbrough's early Premier League years, arriving from Barcelona before helping Boro reach their first major European final.

The Brazilian midfielder spent three seasons on Teesside, producing spectacular free-kicks, big performances and the occasional glimpse of the talent that had once earned him a move to Camp Nou.

He eventually left Middlesbrough in 2008, bringing an eventful spell with the club to an end.

What followed was considerably stranger.

After his professional career wound down in Brazil and China, Rochemback found himself at the centre of a police investigation into alleged cockfighting in his homeland.

Years later, though, the former Boro favourite would make an unlikely return to the football pitch.

Fabio Rochemback became a Middlesbrough cult figure

Rochemback joined Middlesbrough on deadline day in August 2005 after catching McClaren's eye during Sporting's UEFA Cup campaign.

He quickly established himself in the Premier League, making his debut in a 2-1 victory over Arsenal before opening his Boro account in spectacular fashion against Chelsea in February 2006.

Middlesbrough's 3-0 victory over the reigning champions was one of the highlights of Rochemback's spell, with his long-range strike helping Boro produce one of the most memorable results of the McClaren era.

He was also central to the club's extraordinary run to the UEFA Cup final that season, including a man-of-the-match display against Basel as Boro overturned a first-leg deficit to reach the last four.

Rochemback ultimately made 91 appearances for Middlesbrough in all competitions, scoring seven goals and providing eight assists. His final appearance came in an extraordinary 8-1 demolition of Manchester City, when he scored a superb free-kick and supplied two assists.

Two days later, he left the Riverside.

Rochemback's bizarre cockfighting controversy

Rochemback's career continued in Portugal with Sporting, before he returned to Brazil with Gremio and later moved to China with Dalian Aerbin.

His playing career eventually petered out in 2014, when he joined Brazilian amateur side Ipiranga after leaving Dalian. It was away from professional football, however, that Rochemback became involved in his most controversial episode.

In 2011, police reportedly discovered birds associated with cockfighting at a property owned by Rochemback in Brazil. His father denied that his son had done anything wrong.

Six years later, Rochemback was arrested during a police raid on an alleged cockfighting event in Palmeira das Missoes. Police reportedly seized 89 roosters and more than £75,000 in cash, while 57 people were arrested from the 147 people present.

Importantly, reports at the time described Rochemback's involvement as an allegation, while his father disputed that he was even present at the raid, saying that he had been elsewhere at the family farm.

Fabio Rochemback made a shock football comeback

For all the controversy, Rochemback's story did not end with his retirement.

The Brazilian returned to football more than a decade after his professional career had ended, signing for amateur club Guarany de Xaxim in 2025 at the age of 43.

Rochemback had gone from being a teenage Brazilian prospect tipped to succeed Guardiola to a Premier League midfielder, UEFA Cup finalist and, eventually, an amateur footballer back in his homeland.

His professional career may not have fulfilled the enormous promise of his Barcelona years, but Middlesbrough supporters were able to see the best of him.

Now, remarkably, he is back on a football pitch in Brazil - more than 20 years after first arriving in England.