Only one of the Brazilian brothers will start at
Wembley but both believe Manchester United can hurt Barcelona
Luiz Henrique da Silva giggles at the question: how do
you spot the difference between Rafael and Fábio? The big brother,
who came to England to look after the Brazilian twins, seems
genuinely puzzled by how, as in the lyrics of the chant that echoes
around Old Trafford, when the boys run down the pitch, one can't
say which is which. "When they were babies it was hard, and my mom
managed to feed Rafa or Fábio a bottle twice," Luiz Henrique says.
"But now they are totally different in the way they look and
behave."
He observes how Fábio moves his arm oddly when he runs and the
chickenpox spots and scars on Rafael's face. But uncertainty
remains in the Manchester
United dressing room, with even Sir Alex Ferguson
confusing the duo. Fábio says: "There was a match where he came to
me in the dressing room and started to tell me off, but calling me
Rafael. He still gets us confused, but it doesn't matter. Sir Alex
knows everything about football and he loves the Brazilian style.
He is crazy about Cafu, our idol."
That "style" is another trait the pair have in common, and in
terms of ability there is little to separate them. The brothers
have been fighting for the same position in the team since Ferguson
began experimenting with Fábio, a right-footed left-back, on the
side of the pitch for which Rafael was originally signed to occupy.
As a result Rafael will likely be sat with the Scotsman on the
bench at the start of the Champions
League final at Wembley, with Fábio expected to make the
starting XI. Rather than sulk, however, Rafael sees half full a
glass that until very recently risked emptiness.
"I am happy to see my brother bouncing back after a difficult
start at United," he explains. "He got injured a few times and
didn't get many games in the first two seasons. There was even talk
about him being loaned out. We have been together throughout our
entire career and would love to keep it this way for as long as
possible."
The 20-year-olds live together at the same house in Cheshire
with their wives and Luiz Henrique, who is also married and has a
daughter. As well as Brazilian TV channels, the troupe appreciate
the expatriated cuisine and the scent of black bean stew can be
detected emanating from the kitchen. Carla, Rafael's other half,
calls their home the Republic of Silva, with the twins' parents and
other relatives from Brazil sometimes spending time there too. "The
boys are very quiet in terms of social life," she says. "They say
that after all the travelling and training the last thing they want
is to go out. Sometimes we nag them a bit and might get to go to a
restaurant, but most of the time we are all here."
After three seasons at Old Trafford, the twins feel integrated
into the United ethos and praise Ferguson for helping them settle.
Even when Rafael's sending off against Bayern Munich in the 2009-10
Champions League quarter-finals cost United dearly, the Brazilian
was not on the receiving end of the hairdryer in the dressing room.
"He was angry but it was more a paternal dressing-down than
anything at full blast. It actually made me feel more ashamed than
if he had screamed. But he always talks to us about taking time to
learn with our mistakes and not being too anxious."
They are also thankful for Ferguson's comprehension of their
bond. "He understood when I went down the dressing room to see my
brother after he got hit badly in the head [against Blackpool last
January]," says Fábio, who would otherwise have replaced Rafael on
the pitch. His familial duty was also tested during a run-in with
Craig Bellamy. "Dirty player, always moaning and trying to wind
people up. He pulled Rafa's hair once and I wanted to punch
him."
Looking after each other was something they learned early on.
Sons of working-class parents, the twins grew up in Rio de
Janeiro's Peak District, where rich country houses share space with
more humble surroundings. Football saved them from menial work, and
they are proud of their father's job as a porter in a deluxe
condominium. "We are grateful for what he and my mom have done for
us," Rafael says. "We didn't have much but were never obsessed with
money. I guess that helped us a lot when United came knocking."
They claim to have turned down an offer from Arsenal because it
would have bypassed their then club, Fluminense, in the
negotiations. "My mum was adamant," Fábio explains. "We could not
turn our backs to the club that took us on when we were
only 11, even though they then refused to allow us to play in
the first team when the contract with United was signed."
The episode is still brought up in the Brazilian media as the
twins became a symbol of a new era where younger talent would, as
the Portuguese phrase goes, take the airport way. Signed at 16,
Rafael and Fábio had previously arranged to play a season for
Fluminense so that the transition to the Premier League would not
look so daunting, but there was a change of directors and the boys
were told by no less than World Cup winner and former full-back
Branco that they were surplus to requirements. "Some supporters
thought that we were the ones refusing to play but I reckon people
understand it now," says Rafael. "If we ever play in Brazil again,
we would definitely listen to Fluminense, as much as my brother and
I support [local rivals] Botafogo."
The twins ended up as full-backs by accident. In their early
days in the Fluminense academy, based in the outskirts of Rio,
Rafael's preference for the right side of the pitch had more to do
with escaping the scorching heat than beating his marker. "The
training pitch had a shadow on the right side and I, then a
midfielder, went through there a couple of times during a game so I
could escape the sun," he recalls. "The manager liked it and moved
me to right-back."
Fábio's journey to the left side was more circuitous. Originally
a striker who once fed off his brother's long balls to score goals
galore in a local team in Petrópolis (a mountain town near Rio and
historically important for hosting the Brazilian emperor's summer
palace), at Fluminense he struggled to find a place until the
first‑choice left-back was dropped because of forged documentation.
"The manager put me there and I ended up enjoying it more than
playing up front, as much as Sir Alex sometimes has to remind us
that we can't bomb forward as much as Brazilians full-backs
do."
On Saturday United will come up against one such player,
Barcelona's
Dani Alves. The Da Silvas are respectful of the Catalan team but
see no reason why they should be apprehensive about sharing the
same pitch. "We have a side full of confidence and good players and
shouldn't fear Barcelona," Fábio says. Rafael, as he often does,
enforces his brother's viewpoint. "I don't see why we can't hurt
them if we stick to a game plan where we don't make the same
mistakes made by some of their opponents. Basically, Barcelona do
not like being attacked or pressured. We need to make them feel
uncomfortable."
Our conversation is in Portuguese but the twins' English is not
as hesitant as might be expected in their discussion with the
photographer. It is good enough to understand a rare joke by Paul
Scholes – "He is a quiet guy and nobody expects him to say
something funny, but all of sudden he will," says Rafael – and to
realise they should not push Wayne Rooney too hard during
kickabouts. "Wayne can get quite competitive, but that's why he's
such a great player," explains Fábio. Nani still amazes the twins
with his tricks and they also admire how Dimitar Berbatov casually
executes plays.
In the dressing room Rio Ferdinand has filled the role performed
by their brother at home. "He was always joking with us since the
beginning, trying to make us relax," says Rafael. No doubt the
twins will be similarly supporting each other on Saturday, even if
only one can make the starting line-up.