John Nicholson of Football365 looks back fondly at Fábio Rochemback’s Teesside adventure…
Fábio Rochemback only played 68 games for Middlesbrough from 2005-2008 but he made a big impression on our imagination and also on the pitch when he ran around. This was due to being, what physiotherapists and cruel gym teachers like to call, ‘a bit of a fat lad’ and the Teesside, parmo-based diet did nothing to correct this tendency, much to everyone’s delight. We all love a chunky lad, sadly increased levels of professionalism have made him a more rare beast these days.
An ex-Barcelona man, Rocky’s time at the club coincided with its most glorious days in the UEFA Cup. Like all husky-sized men, when he hit the ball, it stayed hit and Rocky liked a punt at goal. Usually these went somewhere other than in the goal, but occasionally, my god, he got it right. His final act in a Boro shirt was to a hit a phenomenal free kick to score the sixth goal in the final game of the 2007/08 season, an 8-1 win against Manchester City. You have never seen a ball hit harder.