Fábio Rochemback (born 10 December 1981) is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. At different ends of his career, he represented both Grenal rivals of his home state of Rio Grande do Sul: Internacional and Grêmio. He signed for Barcelona at 19 for €15 million but struggled, while he reached the 2005 UEFA Cup Final on loan to Sporting CP. He also spent three years at Middlesbrough of the Premier League, and played in the 2006 UEFA Cup Final for them. Rochemback played seven games for Brazil, at the 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup and 2001 Copa América. Club career Barcelona Born in Soledade, Rio Grande do Sul, Rochemback began his career with nearby Sport Club Internacional before transferring to FC Barcelona in July 2001 at the age of 19. The transfer fee was 2.43 billion pesetas in three instalments (€15 million). Expected to be a replacement for the departure of long-serving captain Pep Guardiola, Rochemback played a more physical game than the latter, with a strong shot. He has been named as one of the worst players in the club's history, having played at one of their worst periods. In two full seasons at the Camp Nou he made 68 total appearances and scored four goals, most memorably a long-distance strike as a substitute in a 3–1 UEFA Champions League win away to Liverpool on 20 November 2001. Loan to Sporting CP In July 2003, Rochemback was loaned to Portugal's Sporting CP for a year, as part of the deal that saw Ricardo Quaresma move in the other direction for €10 million. In his second season in Lisbon, he helped the club to the final of the 2004–05 UEFA Cup, scoring a 30-metre free kick in a 2–1 win at Feyenoord in the second leg of the last 16, and wrapped up a 4–1 win over Newcastle United (4–2 aggregate) in the second part of the quarter-finals. In the final at the club's own Estádio José Alvalade he played the full 90 minutes of a 3–1 loss to PFC CSKA Moscow. Middlesbrough Having caught the eye of Middlesbrough manager Steve McClaren during a UEFA Cup game for Sporting earlier in the year, Rochemback signed a five-year deal with the Teesside club on transfer deadline day of 31 August 2005. The late deal had been jeopardised by financial complications: Sporting were subject to a €1 million payment