Fábio Carvalho: Glory in Tribulation | OneFootball

Every single Brentford fan would have liked nothing more than this interview to begin with Fábio Carvalho discussing how it felt to score the winning goal against his former club Fulham at Craven Cottage... and Carvalho feels exactly the same.

“I’ve been replaying it in my head so much since,” he says, referring to his chance in the 96th minute in the west London derby with the score at 1-1, before the hosts went on to score a late winner.

“I just wish I’d scored! I’ve watched it back a lot and I don’t think I could’ve done much more; I got good contact, but the keeper made a decent save.”

That Monday night was a strange experience for the 22-year-old, as he returned to the Cottagers for the first time since crossing the west London divide to join the Bees in the summer.

And the Fulham fans, having temporarily put their clappers down, jeered Carvalho as he warmed up on the touchline, before booing him as he replaced Keane Lewis-Potter with 15 minutes to go.

“Thomas [Frank] said to me, ‘They’re booing you, so go and show them who you are’,” he says.

“I guess it affected me a little bit because it was the first time I’d experienced that… but I found it quite funny!

“When I was warming up, I was laughing because I could hear some of the things the Fulham fans were saying - and I’m so bad at holding my laughs in! It is what it is.”

However, Fulham wasn’t where Carvalho was born and raised. He grew up in Portugal - where he played for Benfica’s youth teams - before moving to England at the age of 11, with his dad relocating for work.

He recalls how much he remembers from that move: “The first memory I have is that it was just so cold!

“I also remember my first day at school. I went in at Year 6 and I didn’t speak much English at all. But I played football and that helps you make friends really easily. As soon as I went onto the playground, everyone was like, ‘Who’s this?’ and wanted me to be on their team.”

However, the language barrier almost saw Carvalho take up a completely different sport altogether.

“When we first came to England, we didn’t know any football teams we could join.

“We lived around Peckham but, to get to my school in Kennington, we would go over The Oval, the cricket ground. We thought that was a football stadium!

“Me, my dad and my brother all went there, speaking barely any English, asking to join the team; they had to explain that it wasn’t football, it was cricket!

“Then my mum went online and found Balham FC. We went along and, that day, my age group had just trained. My brother’s age group were training later so I just trained with them.

“Apparently, as soon as they watched me, they were like, ‘We’ve got to sign him immediately’.

“I loved it and it was the first thing that made me feel like I was back in Portugal again.

“At that point, I wasn’t really thinking about getting into an academy, I was just happy playing football.”

Carvalho played for Balham for two years, where he developed not just his football ability, but also his tenacity and physicality against the tough-tackling 12-year-olds he came up against.

But, as you might expect, it was that footballing ability that caught the eye - and there was one afternoon in particular that stands out to founder and chair of Balham, Greg Cruttwell.

In an interview with The Athletic, he stated: “I always remember a tournament down in Guildford. People were saying, ‘Oh my god, you’ve got to go and see this kid.’

“Everyone went out and, honestly, [Carvalho] was on this pitch doing things like rabona crosses from the corner flag.”

So, does Carvalho remember that day as well as his former coach?

“The tournament in Guildford? Yeah, I remember it so clearly,” he responds. “It was in 2014 during the World Cup.

“I actually broke my wrist that tournament! I went up for a header and landed funny. I went to a hospital in Guildford after and I had to get an operation.

“But, yeah, we got to the semi-finals and I was just playing football and having fun.

“It was me and another boy called Amir - I remember him because he used to love a nutmeg! And the more you see someone else do skills, you want to do them as well.”

Performances like that were why he was initially scouted by Fulham, as well as some big clubs in England’s top flight.

He says: “I went for my first session at Fulham, but then I didn’t go back for another three months after that. I went to a few different trials in between: Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool.

“I then came back to Fulham and played a game against Tottenham; we were losing 3-0 but we won 5-3 and I scored twice. They then just said, ‘Okay, we have to sign him’.”

He adds: “For my mum, it was very important that I got an education as well, which is what they offered at Fulham.

“It was a normal school but a lot of the Fulham players went there, so we’d finish a bit earlier and we’d go to the training ground after.

“Me, Harvey [Elliott], Matt O’Riley [now at Brighton], the Sessegnons [Ryan and Steven], as well as loads of others, all went to that school.”

Asked if that school was allowed to compete against other schools in the local area, alluding to the fact it might have been slightly unfair, Carvalho laughs: “We did but they came in and stopped us from playing, as they didn’t want us to get injured.

“I played a few but didn’t tell Fulham! In my year, there were six players from the club and we just smoked teams… it wasn’t really fair.”

Having been at Fulham since the age of 13, he made his debut for the club in a cup game against Sheffield Wednesday in 2020, which was during the Covid pandemic, meaning all matches were played behind closed doors.

“That helped me because I wasn’t used to playing in front of big crowds,” says Carvalho.

“Being able to make my debut in that environment felt a lot more calm, there was no pressure of the fans, and I was also able to hear Scott Parker giving me instructions.

“I was happy with my performance and I was speaking with one of my team-mates from the under-23s and he said to me, ‘Fabs, you’ve made your debut - you’ve made it!’

“But, in my head, I was thinking, yeah, I’d played my first game but I wanted so much more. Even now, I don’t feel like I’ve made it because I’ve got so many goals and things I want to achieve.

“It’s all about staying level-headed and hungry.”

That positive cameo in the cup, as well as impressive displays in training, led to his first Premier League start for the Cottagers, in the first game after their relegation back to the Championship had been confirmed in 2021.

Carvalho recalls: “The day before my first start against Southampton, Scott pulled me out of training and said, ‘If you were starting tomorrow, would you be ready?’

“I was training really well and I felt full of confidence. Of course, I said yes - and he replied, ‘Good because you are starting tomorrow’.

“So I went to go and do shape with the starting XI and I was nervous! I was making sure I was taking an extra touch or more time to make sure my passes were coming off.

“And the game itself, I scored, which was sick… I didn’t even know how to celebrate! Scott singled me out after the game in front of the squad as well, which was really nice.

“After that, I called my mum straight away and said, ‘Mum, did you see? I scored in the Premier League!’”

Scoring goals was soon going to become something not worth phoning home about unless Carvalho wanted to rack up a hefty bill.

In the Championship during the 2021/22 campaign, the attacking midfielder scored 10 times and registered eight assists - and his standout season is something that he had manifested before a ball had even been kicked.

Carvalho reveals: “I haven’t spoken to him about this, but me and Tom Cairney had a chat before the season and he asked me what I was going to do, whether I was going out on loan or whatever.

“I replied, ‘I don’t really know’… but, in my head, I was thinking, ‘I’m coming for your place in the team!’

“Then Scott left so I knew that I had to impress the new manager. Luckily, it was Marco Silva, who was Portuguese, which really helped.

“I knew from day one of pre-season that it was going to be my year.”

His fantastic performances at the age of 19 didn’t go unnoticed, as Liverpool made an approach to sign him in January 2022.

On the way to his medical on Merseyside, Carvalho says the transfer “felt rushed and didn’t feel right”, so he remained at Fulham until the end of the season; Liverpool came in again in the summer, when they secured the signing of the Portugal Under-21 international.

His first season under Jürgen Klopp at Anfield saw him make 21 appearances in all competitions, net in the Reds’ 9-0 win against Bournemouth, come on at the Bernabéu against Real Madrid, and score a last-minute winner against Newcastle United at Anfield.

“That Newcastle goal was probably one of the best moments of my life so far,” says Carvalho. “They were wasting time and I just remember being desperate to come on and do something.

“I did, the ball fell to me, I scored, and being able to celebrate with all the fans was so good.

“My mum and my sister still live in Liverpool and, when I go to see them, people still say, ‘I remember that goal against Newcastle!’”

As well as his former school pal Harvey Elliott, who he teamed up with again at Liverpool, Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah and Robert Firmino were part of the celebrations for his strike that night.

And the latter two, as well as Luis Díaz, are players that Carvalho “learned so much from” during his time with the Reds.

“I was always asking questions and, if I could go back, I wish I had asked them more questions,” he admits.

“Firmino is the best player I’ve seen in the flesh, so being able to train with him was… wow. He’s a very good guy as well.

“And Salah, it’s just the way he takes care of his body. I would try and match his work ethic, and he would speak to me a lot because he could see that and he respected it.

“I would ask him about nutrition, recovery, visualisations before games, different tactics, and about his journey from Chelsea and how he’s now become the best player in the world.

“Being able to pick his brain and trying to take stuff from his game to add to mine was invaluable.”

A loan spell to RB Leipzig followed the following season, as Carvalho looked for more game time, whilst still wanting to play in the Champions League.

After a substitute appearance in the German Super Cup win over Bayern Munich, just 348 minutes of football in all competitions followed, which was down to the sheer amount of attacking midfielders in the squad - some of whom had been signed after he had joined the club.

“Whilst they played with two 10s, there were a lot of players who could play in that position: me, Xavi Simons, Emil Forsberg, Dani Olmo, Timo Werner - who could play there - and about three or four others, so there was a lot of competition.

“I think they were just hoping that one of those signings worked out and, unfortunately for me, Simons and Olmo were playing really well and I couldn’t exactly demand to play.

“I wasn’t afraid of competition, I love it, I thrive on it, but I did wonder if it was the right move because it was a different scenario to when I first signed.

“But, in a way, it was a big blessing for me, because being alone in Germany - a different country, a different language, I didn’t have my family - I found my faith.

“I stopped going on social media, I started reading my Bible more, and I just kept believing that everything happens for a reason.

“I was praying a lot to get out of that situation. Not Germany itself, but I just wanted to go back to playing football and to be happy.

“That’s when I realised that my happiness shouldn’t depend on football; I should be happy before I go to football and not just if I’m playing or scoring, for example.

“I made sure to glory in tribulation and overcame those things through Christ. Having that support and being able to go to God when I need him the most really helped me.

“Giving my life to Christ is the best decision I’ve ever made. Whenever I need him the most, he’s always listening, and I know everything will be fine.

“Being able to rely on a higher power - sometimes things are out of my control and I can just leave them in his hands; whatever is meant to be will be.”

What might have surprised Carvalho, and many others, was that what was meant to be was a move to Hull City. He admits: “A lot of people were wondering why I went from the Champions League to the Championship!”

Carvalho speaks incredibly highly of his head coach at the Tigers, Liam Rosenior, with that move to Humberside being “not what I wanted, but what I needed.”

He scored nine goals and recorded two assists in 20 games and, despite Hull just missing out on a play-off spot, his numbers were enough to attract the attention of several clubs over the summer - with Brentford eventually securing his signature.

Carvalho has played 24 times for the Bees so far this term, with his stunning overhead kick against Leyton Orient the pick of his six goal contributions in red and white.

He admits that he would’ve liked more than the eight starts he’s made but, as well as being patient, the attacking midfielder knows he needs to take the opportunities when they come.

“I want to play football”, Carvalho says, “but I’ve spoken to Thomas, who’s a great manager but probably an even better person, and having that relationship with him goes a long way.

“I need to be patient and I know that my chance will come. Just knowing that he’s watching me in training and that my hard work isn’t going unnoticed is enough.

“I’ve spoken to him about me being a player that, firstly, thrives in big games - I love big games - but also on consistent game time. I like that rhythm and, when I’m in my groove, I feel good and I feel confident.

“When I do get my chance, I want to take it.”