The former Brazilian midfielder: “Arrigo was like a father to me, Zamparini was a gentleman but had no patience, while I don’t respect Sabatini: he cut me loose twice without even telling me. In Rome, we Brazilians partied every day…”
Fabio Simplicio is exactly as we remember him from his playing days. A bit rounder, but always smiling. He has a laugh that brings joy. And when he talks, he rattles off anecdotes and stories one after another. Like slides pulled from a deck, one after another, from Parma to Palermo and on to Roma with Totti and De Rossi. “Daniele is a Brazilian in disguise. He had the soul of a party animal. He was also a role model, a true fan on the field.” So many memories. “I came to Italy thanks to Sacchi. In Rome, I met two people who left me breathless: they’re both named Francesco. I saw one in Trigoria, the other at St. Peter’s. And my heart was pounding with emotion.”
Fabio Simplicio, you arrived in Italy in 2004. Why Parma?

“It was Sacchi who recommended me. He said I had the potential to be stronger than Kakà. In reality, Ricardo played a different sport. But Arrigo was like a father to me, as well as a great supporter.“

Do you remember your first meeting?

”He welcomed me to the city and told me to always go in hard. The result? In my first three games, I got three yellow cards. But he told me to keep at it.”

Parma—what were those years like?

“Fantastic, even though I struggled a bit to settle in. They’d take me to dinner at Morfeo’s restaurant; I didn’t understand Italian and didn’t get the irony. Then, as soon as I learned it, we had a great laugh.”

You mentioned Morfeo—a wasted talent?

“Mimmo is one of a kind; not wasted, but definitely a powerhouse. He had top-tier class and elite-level skills. He could have achieved more, for sure. He’s one of the players I place in the pantheon, alongside Totti. He and Francesco are the best I’ve ever played with.”

Speaking of Totti, did you go to Rome for him?

“I got emotional twice: when I saw him and when I saw Pope Bergoglio at St. Peter’s. And they’re both named Francesco. Believe me, it’s something special. And yes, I chose it for the prestige and to play with Totti and De Rossi. We had a lot of fun. We had a group of Brazilians who got into some kind of trouble every day.”

Back then, there were rumors about your lack of professionalism. Some people wrote that you showed up to training drunk…

“Rome, as you know, is a complicated place when it comes to radio, rumors, and newspapers. It’s wonderful, but tough in terms of the media. I remember when I was injured at the start and wasn’t playing; people were saying a lot of false things about me. That said, though, a couple of times we really did show up drunk… at least us Brazilians.“

Tell us about it, if you can.

”Let me start by saying that for me, the locker room is sacred, but with Ranieri, we ended up celebrating Brazilian Carnival at a teammate’s house. The next day, we were wrecks. I couldn’t see the ball. Claudio scolded us: ‘Brazilians, what did you do last night?’ And he sent us to take a shower. We laughed about it later, some time after. He often teased us. But that’s not the only thing I’ve done… I’d like to tell you another story.“

Please do.

”Once I drove my car into a fountain in Parma. I was drunk and couldn’t stop. You could say it was a youthful mistake…”

Let’s get back to soccer. Is it true that Mourinho wanted you?

“Yes, I was very close to moving to Inter. I even spoke with Moratti, and I know that Mou wanted me in midfield. It all fell through because of money and trade-offs; I would have gladly gone. But it wasn’t just Inter—I had many other opportunities.”

Juventus?

“Yes, them too. In that case, Amauri called me and told me the Bianconeri were following me. I would have liked to play with him again, but I’m happy I went to Roma.”

Is there anyone in your career who disappointed you?

“I’ve always had good relationships with everyone, but there was one director who couldn’t stand me” .

Who?

“Walter Sabatini. He cut me loose both in Palermo and in Rome. At Palermo, he brought in Pastore to replace me, so no complaints there, but he really wanted a different type of player than me. More than the decisions themselves, it was the way he handled things that hurt. No one ever talked to me about it: just a ‘you have to leave.’ That’s it.“

Did you get a chance to talk to him about it later?

”Never, zero contact. But I’m fine with that. I didn’t like how he behaved and I don’t respect him—end of story.”

In Palermo, there was also a clash with Foschi. Or at least that’s what the papers wrote…

“Only at the beginning. He called me to Milan to sign and changed the terms of the contract. I didn’t accept it and left. Then Zamparini insisted, ‘I want Simplicio now,’ and started yelling. So they called me back, changed a few things, and I signed. After that, Rino and I joked about it many times.”

The president was quite a character too…

“You bet, he had a few quirks. But he was always a gentleman with me. He changed coaches all the time: at one point he had 4 or 5 under contract. All it took was two bad games for him to lose his patience. He told me to always attack.”

What does Simplicio do today?

“I have a lot of businesses—restaurants, shops, and amusement parks. I also like discovering players and watching lots of games. But I have a dream: to become the president of a club.”

Like Zamparini?

“Maybe a little more patient, come on…”