Fabio Aurelio

Fabio Aurelio became the first Brazilian to sign for Liverpool in July 2006, and has since then, notched up 131 appearances and scored four goals. Born in Sao Carlos in 1979, the left back struggled for the first two years when he arrived at England, although when he made his debut at Anfield, it was clear that he had plenty of potential. Despite making his first appearance for the reds in the Community Shield victory over Chelsea however, a series of injuries led the player to be sidelined for much of the season and eventually meant he only made 25 appearances in his first year at Anfield. Despite showing great talent however, he has suffered many more injuries during his time at the club and has struggled in many instances, to hold down a place in the side. Previous to his Liverpool days however, the Brazilian came through the ranks at Sao Paulo, making his first team debut in 1997. He then moved to Spanish side Valencia in 2000 and worked under Hector Cuper for a year until Rafael Benitez took charge. After completing his six year contract at Mestalla, the defender then joined Liverpool on a free transfer in 2006. The popular left back, who stands at 1.73 metres and weighs 73 kg, very nearly quit Liverpool when his contract expired in 2010 however. A combination of injury woes, plus then-manager Rafael Benitez admitting that no new deal would be in place for the defender, meant that Aurelio nearly said goodbye to Merseyside once and for all. However, it was only when Benitez was replaced by Roy Hodgson later that summer that Aurelio dramatically re-signed for the club – he agreed a new contract that would take him to the 2012 season.