Luis Fabiano

50 Top Soccer Player their trade today, based on a combination of current form, potential and overall ability.  Ranking  determined by a panel of contributors to ESPN's soccer.

Luis Fabiano    Rank Player 14

Profile
Birth name                    Luís Fabiano Clemente
Birth place                    November 8, 1980
Birth place                    Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
Height                          1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Playing position            Striker
National team               Brazil
Current club                 São Paulo
Number                        9


Biography
Luís Fabiano Clemente (born November 8, 1980), commonly known as Luís Fabiano, is a Brazilian footballer who currently plays for São Paulo and the Brazilian national football team as a striker.

Luís Fabiano enjoyed great success during two spells with Brazilian side São Paulo FC, with a disappointing period at French side Rennes sandwiched in between.  His strength on the ball, accurate finishing, and pace made him a vital part of the side that fell in the semi-finals of the 2004 Copa Libertadores de América. Luís Fabiano was labeled the "bad boy" of Brazilian football when playing for São Paulo after a number of brawls. During a 2003 Copa Sudamericana match for São Paulo against River Plate of Argentina, a fight between the players broke out. Luís Fabiano ran behind a River player and kicked him just below the neck.
While being escorted off the field, Luís Fabiano said that he "would rather fight than take a penalty."
He was given a three-match ban from all competitions.

Career
Luís Fabiano made his debut for Brazil on 11 June 2003 in a friendly against Nigeria, marking his international debut with a goal before being substituted. He was also included in Brazil's squad for 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup, but did not make any appearances. He won the Copa América 2004 tournament with Brazil, where he started in all five matches alongside fellow striker Adriano. With his poor form in Europe with FC Porto and Sevilla FC, however, he did not make any further international appearances for more than three years. He was finally recalled to the national team on November 2007 for a World Cup qualifying match. On 19 November 2008, Luís Fabiano scored his first international hat-trick in a friendly match against Portugal in Brasília. The match ended in a 6–2 victory for Brazil. On 28 June 2009, he scored two goals in the Confederations Cup Final win against the United States. He won the golden boot as the tournament's top scorer with five goals. Luís Fabiano scored his first international goal in nine months with a right-footed strike against Ivory Coast on 20 June 2010 in the 2010 FIFA World Cup. He followed it up with a second goal, which he scored after touching the ball with his hands on two occasions.  His third goal of the competition came against Chile in the Round of 16 on 29 June 2010, as Brazil won 3–0.


Scouting thumbnail 
Temperamental Brazilian who can score in bunches. Work rate is suspect but an explosive finisher who needs only half a chance. (Source Wikipedia)