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Fabinho: I’m thrilled and honoured
(FIFA.com) Saturday 18 August 2007
The referee's whistle sounds. Tales immediately receives possession and launches the ball upfield towards Alex, whose flick-on is expertly dinked over New Zealand goalkeeper Jacob Gleeson by Fabinho. It took Brazil a mere nine seconds to get their assault on the FIFA U-17 World Cup crown off to a flying start, and in scoring the first of seven unanswered goals at the Jeju FIFA World Cup Stadium, the Internacional prodigy rewrote the record books.
Not only was his strike the quickest in the FIFA U-17 World Cup's 22-year existence, but it unseated Hakan Sukur's 11-second effort for Turkey against Korea Republic in the 2002 FIFA World Cup™ third-place playoff as the fastest goal ever in FIFA finals tournaments. After making history, Fabinho sat down with FIFA.com to discuss his milestone achievement, Brazil's impressive performance and his belief that they can win the competition.
FIFA.com: Fabinho, a goal after just nine seconds - how did it feel?
Fabinho: It meant so much because it was the first game of the championship and I was crazy to score a goal. We have trained hard together for a long time, practising plays like this, and we reaped the rewards of this very early. It was a wonderful feeling to get off to such a good start.
What does it mean to you to have broken the record for the fastest goal ever scored in a FIFA finals competition?
I think it's a very important landmark. I'm very happy to have broken a FIFA record. It's very difficult to break a FIFA record so I'm delighted. I feel very honoured to have broken a FIFA record. It all happened so fast but I'm very happy.
Brazil finished up 7-0 winners. Were you surprised by the margin of victory?
We worked very hard towards the opening game, making sure we'd be prepared. Who works hard, prospers. We wanted to start out with an impressive result and today everything went right for us. But this was the result of our hard work.
Who do you think was theSeleção's star player against New Zealand?
I think it was a group effort. The entire team played well. We all helped each other. Alex did play really well, but overall I think the collective performance was the key.
What do make of your remaining group opponents, England and Korea DPR?
England and Korea will be tough matches. Obviously we recorded a big win over New Zealand, but football is one team against another and anyone can beat anyone. The game against England will be a tough test, we know that. England have a big name in the world of football and we they will be strong, but we'll be ready.
Which sides do you consider Brazil's principal rivals for the title?
Football has evolved a lot, it really has. I think all of the 24 sides will be strong. You have some teams that have big reputations and some that don't, but, in truth, every team is strong in the U-17 World Cup. Anyone can beat anyone. It's just like it is in the senior World Cup, where we have seen that underdogs can surprise giants.
Which footballers do you most look up to?
There are so many. Pele, who I feel is the greatest footballer of all time, is a player I have a lot of admiration for. (Juan Roman) Riquelme is another great player. Today I also like Ronaldinho Gaucho and (Thierry) Henry, who is a top striker with so many attributes.
Is playing your club football in Europe something you have dreamed about?
Playing in Europe is the dream of every Brazilian footballer.
You've made the perfect start. Do you believe Brazil can go on to win the FIFA U-17 World Cup?
I believe we can. We have a very strong squad. When you enter a competition like the U-17 World Cup you don't enter to lose, do you? We have a lot of talent and there is a wonderful spirit within the group. We have trained hard for a long time now to realise this goal. We know we must keep working hard, but I believe we can win the tournament.
(FIFA.com) Saturday 18 August 2007
The referee's whistle sounds. Tales immediately receives possession and launches the ball upfield towards Alex, whose flick-on is expertly dinked over New Zealand goalkeeper Jacob Gleeson by Fabinho. It took Brazil a mere nine seconds to get their assault on the FIFA U-17 World Cup crown off to a flying start, and in scoring the first of seven unanswered goals at the Jeju FIFA World Cup Stadium, the Internacional prodigy rewrote the record books.
Not only was his strike the quickest in the FIFA U-17 World Cup's 22-year existence, but it unseated Hakan Sukur's 11-second effort for Turkey against Korea Republic in the 2002 FIFA World Cup™ third-place playoff as the fastest goal ever in FIFA finals tournaments. After making history, Fabinho sat down with FIFA.com to discuss his milestone achievement, Brazil's impressive performance and his belief that they can win the competition.
FIFA.com: Fabinho, a goal after just nine seconds - how did it feel?
Fabinho: It meant so much because it was the first game of the championship and I was crazy to score a goal. We have trained hard together for a long time, practising plays like this, and we reaped the rewards of this very early. It was a wonderful feeling to get off to such a good start.
What does it mean to you to have broken the record for the fastest goal ever scored in a FIFA finals competition?
I think it's a very important landmark. I'm very happy to have broken a FIFA record. It's very difficult to break a FIFA record so I'm delighted. I feel very honoured to have broken a FIFA record. It all happened so fast but I'm very happy.
Brazil finished up 7-0 winners. Were you surprised by the margin of victory?
We worked very hard towards the opening game, making sure we'd be prepared. Who works hard, prospers. We wanted to start out with an impressive result and today everything went right for us. But this was the result of our hard work.
Who do you think was theSeleção's star player against New Zealand?
I think it was a group effort. The entire team played well. We all helped each other. Alex did play really well, but overall I think the collective performance was the key.
What do make of your remaining group opponents, England and Korea DPR?
England and Korea will be tough matches. Obviously we recorded a big win over New Zealand, but football is one team against another and anyone can beat anyone. The game against England will be a tough test, we know that. England have a big name in the world of football and we they will be strong, but we'll be ready.
Which sides do you consider Brazil's principal rivals for the title?
Football has evolved a lot, it really has. I think all of the 24 sides will be strong. You have some teams that have big reputations and some that don't, but, in truth, every team is strong in the U-17 World Cup. Anyone can beat anyone. It's just like it is in the senior World Cup, where we have seen that underdogs can surprise giants.
Which footballers do you most look up to?
There are so many. Pele, who I feel is the greatest footballer of all time, is a player I have a lot of admiration for. (Juan Roman) Riquelme is another great player. Today I also like Ronaldinho Gaucho and (Thierry) Henry, who is a top striker with so many attributes.
Is playing your club football in Europe something you have dreamed about?
Playing in Europe is the dream of every Brazilian footballer.
You've made the perfect start. Do you believe Brazil can go on to win the FIFA U-17 World Cup?
I believe we can. We have a very strong squad. When you enter a competition like the U-17 World Cup you don't enter to lose, do you? We have a lot of talent and there is a wonderful spirit within the group. We have trained hard for a long time now to realise this goal. We know we must keep working hard, but I believe we can win the tournament.