In São Paulo, where Luis Fabiano’s football story began in difficult surroundings, the former Brazil and Sevilla striker is preparing for a very different contest. At 45, “O Fabuloso” has entered political life and is campaigning to become a federal deputy for the state of São Paulo.
Fabiano is standing through the Brazilian Democratic Movement party and has increasingly used his social-media channels to set out his candidacy. Election day on the 4th has become the defining date of a campaign that could take one of Sevilla’s modern icons into public office.
Quick facts
- Luis Fabiano, 45, is seeking election as a federal deputy for São Paulo state.
- He is running with the Brazilian Democratic Movement.
- For Sevilla, he played 230 matches and scored 107 goals.
- His Sevilla honours included two UEFA Cups, the UEFA Super Cup, two Copa del Rey trophies and the Spanish Super Cup.
- His campaign focuses on healthcare, education, social improvement and communities affected by poverty and crime.
The former forward grew up in a poor district of São Paulo, and that background has shaped the themes of his campaign. He has put the state’s public services at the centre of his message, calling for stronger healthcare and education alongside wider social measures for residents with few resources.
Crime in disadvantaged communities has also featured prominently in his appeal. Fabiano’s public profile, built first at São Paulo FC and then with Brazil and clubs abroad, gives him a recognisable platform as he seeks to follow other retired footballers into politics.
Across the Atlantic, his candidacy will be watched closely in Seville. Fabiano was a major figure in the side coached by Juande Ramos, a team that collected five trophies in 15 months and helped establish one of the club’s most successful eras.
He won two UEFA Cups with Sevilla, along with a UEFA Super Cup, two Spanish Cups and a Spanish Super Cup. His first European final goal remains a vivid moment: a header from a Dani Alves delivery against Middlesbrough in Eindhoven.
Now the former No. 9 is pursuing another kind of responsibility, with the ballot box rather than a stadium set to decide whether his next chapter begins in Brasília.
