Who is this ex-Real Madrid player that won the Champions League?
Our latest mystery player came from humble beginnings to reach the very top. How many clues do you need to identify him?
Our mystery player today is a born worker. He is one of those players who fans tend to grow fond of quickly: he spends most of his time out of the spotlight, but when he's on the field of play he gives everything for the cause. And most recently that effort helped his current side reach the very top. Read the information below and see how many points you get for identifying him.
From humble beginnings to glory
5 points: The young boy in the picture above took his first touches towards elite level at Campinas, in Sao Paulo, and then as a player for Paulinas at the age of 12. The Brazilian stood out among his peers in a local tournament and was soon on the move to Fluminense.
4 points: Impressing for the younger categories of Canarinha, although not playing for his club's first team, his agent, a certian Jorge Mendes, took him to Portugal to join Rio Ave. From there, after only a month and without making his debut, Real Madrid showed their desire to have him at Castilla. The junior side were in the Segunda division for the 2012-13 season and, on loan from Portugal, he made 30 appearances for them, scoring twice. He even managed 14 minutes for the first team in the Santiago Bernabéu that campaign.
3 points: Although seen now as a defensive midfielder - with an impressive ability to cover other positions when required - our mystery man actually stood out as a full-back in Alberto Toril's Castilla replacing Dani Carvajal, who left for Leverkusen. He also played alongside Alex Fernandez, Nacho, Jesse, Cheryshev, Morata, Lucas Vázquez, RDT, as well as his compatriot, Casemiro.
2 points: It was José Mourinho who gave him that debut in the league with the first team but the player would return to Rio Ave after his loan spell, only to leave again, This time, he went to Monaco. After two years on loan there the principality purchased him outright, meaning he never played in the Portuguese league. The midfielder was one of the stars as a swash bucklng Monaco took the Ligue 1 title ahead of PSG and reached the Champions League semi-final, with Jardim at the helm and teammates of the ilk of Bernardo Silva, Lemar, Falcao, and an emerging young Frenchman, Kylian Mbappé.
1 point: In the summer of 2018 Jürgen Klopp decided that he needed the Brazilian to complement his squad development at Anfield, and Liverpool handed 45 million euros. He started slowly as he adapted to the new style of play, but then showed his worth as The Reds went on to lift their sixth Champions League and have a record-breaking season in the Premier League.
A hard worker with plenty of quality
0 points: Our mystery footballer of the day is, of course, Fabinho. At 25, the midfielder has now added the Champions League trophy to his title in France and is hungry for more with both club and country.
After the magical night in Madrid, where he had the assist for Origi's killer goal in the final, he described it as "incredible" to do it in his first season. Ahead of that game he said that he and his family had been reflecting on where it all began in Brazil.