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FABRICIO AGOSTO RAMÍREZ
Squad Number 08/09: ?
Date of Birth: 31 December 1987
Birthplace: Las Palmas
Nationality: Spain
Contract: 2005 - ????
Transfer: ?
Previous Clubs: Vecindario
Buy-out Clause: ?
Height: 185 cm
Weight: ? kg
Position: Goalkeeper
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 Deportivo had cherished talented goalkeeper Fabricio carefully when he, barely aged 20, was launched into the Galician team on 13 January 2008. The public row between Aouate and Munúa made them being sidelined and left Lotina with no much choice than to pick the Canarian goalkeeper. But although Deportivo’s coach made clear that Fabricio was going to remain the starting goalkeeper of that season, the pressure on Fabril’s goalkeeper proved to be too much. After six matches the return of Aouate was a fact, but a reborn Fabricio seems to have gained new confidence and has a realistic chance of becoming Deportivo’s number one this season. This means that interest of clubs like Liverpool, Arsenal, Sevilla, Villarreal and Real Zaragoza is irrelevant.
Canarians and Galicians have mixed up well at Deportivo since Manuel Pablo arrived at the club in 1998. Ten years later he was still at the club and was accompanied by Valerón, Aythami, Momo and Rubén which made Fabricio being the sixth Canarian squad player of Deportivo being of Canarian origin. It was 2005 when 17-year old Fabricio, together with Aridane, Óscar Sánchez and Luis Ángel, arrived from Canarian club Vecindario at Deportivo as part of the cooperation deal existing between both clubs. He immediately appeared at the official picture of Deportivo’s first team, although that was by pure coincidence. Molina couldn’t be present because of a personal issue and coach Caparrós asked Fabricio to replace him. Fabricio was the goalkeeper of the Juveniles during the season 2005/2006 and for the year after was promoted to Deportivo B, despite having been out for half a season with a broken leg. In that same summer of 2006 he also was given his first opportunities with the first squad. With Molina and Dani Mallo going, and Caparrós not really counting on Munúa, the Andalucian coach was looking for back-ups for new signing Aouate. Fabricio was with the first team all summer and Caparrós took him with the first team to Deportivo’s training stage at Isla Canela. He played several friendlies and was Deportivo’s starting goalkeeper against Sporting Lisbon.
There was competition though of Ian Mackay, who had played a successful season with Deportivo B (he was the most effective goalkeeper in their league and with Deportivo B narrowly missed promotion to Segunda B) and he also was taken by Caparrós. The coach made clear that one of them was going to be Deportivo’s second goalkeeper that season, but later changed his mind and gave Munúa that spot. Fabricio and Mackay returned to Deportivo B, although Fabricio had considered it a very valuable experience: “I’m really happy with that as it was a great opportunity to grow as a player but also as a person. You get used to be among professional players and that’s important. But this is just a small step in my career because I consider myself a player of Deportivo B and nothing more. I appreciate the confidence of Caparrós, especially after the injury I suffered”. Mackay, who had made such an impression against AC Milan at the 2005 Teresa Herrera tournament, then was loaned out to Ceuta and Fabricio became the starting goalkeeper of Deportivo B. After a few months there weren’t many doubts in Deportivo’s youth system that “Fabricio is the future goalkeeper of Deportivo”. Tall, and quiet, Fabricio proved to be cool and secure, and especially to have a good aerial game.
 Fabricio, who’s idol always had been Peter Schmeichel, had quit football at an early after a row at Vecindario and the club really had to convince him to give up his new career: basketball. Fabricio was rebelling, and his team mate Aridane said that “he was fixed on becoming a great goalkeeper. When he was watching football, only the goalkeepers had his attention. He never tried another position on the pitch”. In January 2007 he was a step closer to his target as he occupied Deportivo’s bench for the match against Real Madrid in Riazor (2-0) because of Munúa’s injury. Fabricio called it “something spectacular to see the stadium full of people. I can’t really summarize it in a few words. It was just incredible. And when during the match Caparrós told me to warm up, I didn’t really know what to do. My heart was going like crazy”. Eventually he didn’t enter that match to replace Aouate, but he remained on the bench for several more matches. Fabricio also made his debut for the Spain U-20 team in a friendly against the Czech Republic. In the mean time he achieved promotion with Deportivo B (including Chapi, Juanan, Adrián López and Álex) to Segunda B after the team had spent seven years in Tercera.
When Lotina took over at Deportivo, he was less enthusiastic to take a handful of youngsters with the first team and Fabricio and Aridane were the only ones picked. Meanwhile, Ian Mackay was sold to Vecindario. His contract was going to run out in June 2008 and Deportivo already had signed Manu as a replacement, but basically were counting on Fabricio. Lotina then revealed that he preferred to have two goalkeepers in the first team, which were Aouate and Munúa, with Fabricio and Manu occupying the spots at Deportivo B. During the first part of the season 2007/2008 he was the starting goalkeeper of Deportivo B for a second year in a row. After 19 matches in Segunda B he only had leaked 7 goals although he kept both feet on the ground. “Things are going well this year. Rivals get less closer and create fewer opportunities to score because of the great work of our defenders. I don’t think I am the best of my team”, he said. One of the opponents that season was Mackay’s Vecindario and Deportivo B won that match 2-0. Juan Rivero, the assistant of Deportivo B coach Tito Ramallo, described Fabricio as “a secure goalkeeper. And he transmits this to his colleagues. He’s always focused and you won’t see him doing fancy jumps just for the sake of it. But when he jumps, you’re assured he’ll catch the ball”. Then events evolved fast. An injury and recent bad performances of Aouate made Fabricio to warm Deportivo’s bench again with Manu taking the spot at Deportivo B. Deportivo’s goalkeepers Aouate and Munúa then clashed physically and were temporarily suspended by the club. Lotina immediately announced that Fabricio would be the starting goalkeeper at Villarreal and that his idea was to keep him there until the end of the season. But at the same time he didn’t call that too much of a surprise. “I’ve talked about it with the president and everything just has been accelerated for six months (hinting at Fabricio’s final move to the first team). I trust upon what Tito Ramallo (coach of Deportivo B) and José Sambade (coach of Deportivo’s goalkeepers) say and they always have been claiming that Fabricio is ready”.
 The match at Villarreal (4-3 loss) wasn’t the best one possible. That team finished second that season and played the best football of Spain. Deportivo, in the mean time, we’re deep into the relegation zone but gave a heroic performance at El Madrigal. The Galicians took the lead twice, but after the second time it was Fabricio (who was encouraged before the game by ex-goalkeeper Molina) who tried to save an effort of Senna which seemed to be going wide. The goalkeeper let go of the ball and Nihat was there to score the equalizer. In the fifteen minutes after that the match was decided in Villarreal’s advance, much to the frustration of all surrounding Deportivo. Fabricio immediately admitted his mistake. “It was a crucial mistake and I sunk the team. I ask for apologies for the damage I inflicted because we played a good game. I thought that their effort was on target and that’s why I tried to save it, but in vain. I still have to learn a lot and hope to improve my game during the next match”. Lotina was critical too and didn’t defend the goalkeeper in public, although Fabricio was kept in the team for the next five matches.
At Almería, the team suffered a painful and late defeat (1-0) but Fabricio was not to be blamed for the goal. In the all-or-nothing match against in-form Valladolid (3-1 win), he didn’t have much either but didn’t look good when Valladolid scored near the end. Meanwhile, the ban of Aouate and Munúa was lifted. Fabricio looked insecure during the 0-1 win at Betis Sevilla, and one of his mistakes miraculously didn’t end up in Betis’ equalizer. This time Lotina did defend him: “I haven't said anything to him about it, but if a 19-year-old boy doesn't have the right to fail... It's also a virtue to fail and to not conceive the goal. Some keepers allow a goal each time they fail, and he has failed at this opportunity and it wasn't a goal. But who doesn't commit an error at 19? He is a great goalkeeper and he's going to be a Primera goalkeeper for a lot of years”. Getafe’s goal at Riazor (1-1) was not his fault, but another painful and late defeat at Recreativo (3-2) was the end of Fabricio. Not that he was to be blamed for any of their goals, but the team were back into deep relegation troubles and Fabricio’s inexperience certainly didn’t help. Aouate returned to take the goalkeeping position and played all available minutes until the end of the season, which led to Deportivo eventually achieving Intertoto football. But the Israelian goalkeeper praised Fabricio for this performances: “He’s a goalkeeper with tremendous conditions. He has everything to become a great goalkeeper”.
Early March the match at Real Madrid Castilla was the return of Fabricio to Deportivo B and on occasions he occupied the bench of the first team, but his performances weren’t the same as before. One month later he was rested for both teams and Manu took over the goalkeeping spot at Deportivo B while Aouate defend the one of the first team. Lotina explained that “Fabricio is an animal and he has been playing with different injuries during the past weeks. That’s why he isn’t 100%. He has been training with both teams and it could be important to rest him for a while. Hopefully we will see the return of the Fabricio we all know”. Manu finished the season with Deportivo B in which the team reached the play-off finals but failed to achieve promotion to Segunda A. All-in-all the situation of Fabricio seemed to had become difficult. But Lotina held word, also because of circumstances. Now, with the new season starting, Aouate and Munúa were axed from the first team. Their fight never had been solved properly and their presence in the squad was not wished for. That’s why Manu and Fabricio were the goalkeepers taken by Lotina for the mini-tour in Denmark. They were accompanied by youth defenders Juanan and David Rochela. A few days later, experienced Bilbao goalkeeper Aranzubia was signed. But it was Fabricio who defended Deportivo’s goal against Israeli team Bnei Sakhnin in the Intertoto. And although the Galicians won both matches and were very superior in Riazor, they needed Fabricio for some crucial saves. It led Lotina to say that “Fabricio is more calm now, and I think he’s better than last year with more confidence. He’s definitely competitive”. Goalkeepers coach Sambade said that “the physical problems and physiological challenge were a strong cocktail for him last season. But he has grown. I would take the risk with him, as others have done with Casillas or Víctor Valdés”. It seems that Fabricio will, at least, be Deportivo’s second goalkeeper for the next season.
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