Biography
Attacking midfielder Fabio Carvalho joined Liam Rosenior’s Tigers side on loan from Liverpool in early January 2024, a totemic signing demonstrating the ambition of the manager and the club’s owner Acun Illicali. He debuted in a foul-littered home defeat to Norwich City and immediately showcased his close ball control skills and impressive workrate, then netted a vital winner the following week at Sunderland. He continued to score a goal every two games, often leading the attack as City mounted a play-off challenge only to fall just short on the final day of the season. Fabio successfully burnished his reputation as a progressive attacking threat during his five months at Hull City.
Fabio Leandro Freitas Gouveia Carvalho was born in the Portuguese capital Lisbon and raised in the city’s Zone J Chelas district by his Angolan father and Madeiran mother. He quickly came to the attention of major clubs in Portugal as a youngster thanks to his street football skills and joined Benfica’s academy at the age of 8. In 2013 Fabio’s family moved from Lisbon to London in search of work opportunities and the eleven year old’s footballing skills were quickly spotted by local junior club Balham. After a period of adjustment to life in a new country Carvalho joined the academy at Championship side Fulham in 2015 and quickly progressed through the ranks, earning his first professional contract in May 2020. Fabio had already made his senior debut for Fulham’s Under-21 side in the EFL Trophy, coming on at half-time in a September 2018 tie against Wycombe Wanderers and following up with three appearances in the 2019/20 EFL Trophy and two appearances the following season. In September 2020 he made his first team debut in the League Cup against Sheffield Wednesday and made his Premier League debut against Chelsea in May 2021, scoring his first senior goal a fortnight later against Southampton. He also played regularly for Fulham’s reserve side, scoring a December 2020 hattrick against Crystal Palace’s Under-21 side in the PL2 Division.
With Fulham relegated to the Championship for the 2021/22 season Carvalho broke into the Cottagers’ first team on a regular basis, netting three goals in four games during August 2021 including an impressive strike against Grant McCann’s Hull City side. Fulham, led by former Hull City manager Marco Silva, went on to dominate the division all season and won the Championship title with several games to spare, and Carvalho was an important part of the team that often swept opponents aside with heavy defeats. Fabio concluded his breakout season at Craven Cottage with 11 goals in all competitions and attracted considerable interest from the biggest clubs in the English game. By the 2022 close season Carvalho had scored 12 goals for Fulham in 50 appearances.
In July 2022 Fabio joined Premier League giants Liverpool for a £5 million fee that could have eventually approached £8 million. He was immediately part of the Reds’ first team squad and scored his first Liverpool goal against Bournemouth in August 2022, the crucial eighth in a 9-0 drubbing. He was used primarily from the bench in Premier League matches but did start several cup ties, scoring against Manchester City in a December 2022 League Cup defeat. He ended his first season at Anfield with three goals in 21 appearances. In July 2023 Carvalho joined German Bundesliga side RB Leipzig on a season long loan, making his debut the August 2023 DFL Supercup season curtain raiser against Bayern Munich. Fabio was used primarily as a substitute by Leipzig and made 15 appearances by the time his loan was curtailed in late December 2023. His return to England alerted several clubs interested in taking him on loan, a race that was won by Hull City in early January 2024 thanks no doubt to conversations with fellow Liverpool loanee Tyler Morton and former Fulham teammate Jean Michael Seri.
In August 2024, fresh from his impressive spell at Hull City, Fabio joined Premier League side Brentford for a fee that could have risen to £27.5 million. He made his debut against Crystal Palace days after his transfer, his second Bees appearance was in a return to Anfield to play the last half an hour against former side Liverpool.
Born in Portugal and raised in England, Fabio was eligible for either country in the age-limited international scene and as his career developed at Fulham he initially chose to represent England. He made his England Under-16 debut against Scotland in July 2017 and over the next nine months scored two goals in 10 appearances at that level. He progressed to the England Under-17s during the 2018/19 season, making eight appearances and captaining the side twice. He made six appearances for England Under-18s during the 2019/20 season but paused his international involvement for a year while he sought to attract the attention of Portugal’s international selectors. In March 2022 Fabio made his debut for Portugal’s Under-21 side against Iceland and over the next three months he scored two goals in four appearances, playing his last match against Leichtenstein in June 2022 (a 9-0 hammering in which Carvalho added the seventh goal).
Details
Nationality: Portugal
Date/Place of Birth: 30 August 2002, Lisbon (Portugal)
Hull City First Game: 12 January 2024, Norwich City H (Championship), 21 years, 135 days old
Hull City Final Game: 4 May 2024, Plymouth Argyle A (Championship), 21 years, 248 days old
Clubs
Fulham (2018-2022), Liverpool (2022-2024), RB Leipzig (2023-2024, loan), Hull City (2024, loan), Brentford (2024-current)
Hull City Record
Career: 20 apps, 9 goals
Fabio Carvalho| Season | LGE App | LGE Gls | FAC App | FAC Gls | FLC App | FLC Gls | EUR App | EUR Gls | OTH App | OTH Gls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023/24 | 20 (0) | 9 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |