The 31-year-old defender left Liverpool for Al-Ittihad in July 2023 in a £40 million deal and while it wasn’t an “easy decision” to make, he has settled into life in Jeddah well.

He told FourFourTwo magazine: “Leaving Liverpool wasn’t an easy decision, because I was very comfortable there and had three years remaining on my deal, so I didn’t need to go.

“But it was a good opportunity for me and I’m happy with my decision.

“It was a good surprise to see how nice the city was. My family are happy here and I’m trying my best for Al-Ittihad.”

But Fabinho’s former Liverpool teammate Jordan Henderson managed just a few months at Al Ettifaq before returning to Europe, and the centre back thinks leaving his own home country of Brazil at a young age helped him to adjust better.

He said: “In my last season at Liverpool, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was telling me how difficult it is for an English player to leave the Premier League, so I understand when you leave the country for the first time, you may face difficulties you’re not used to.

“I left my country at 18 – for a Brazilian, it’s easier to adapt anywhere.”

Fabinho spends a lot of time with fellow Brazilian Roberto Firmino, but when his side face his pal’s team Al Ahli in the Jeddah derby, friendship is set to one side.

He said: “Bobby’s one of my good friends and it’s nice to be in the same city – I see him often.

“But during the game, I’ll fight for my team. Last season, I did a hard tackle on him and he sent me a photo of his ankle afterwards. I said, ‘Sorry Bobby!’.”