# Cristian Fabbiani

Cristian Gastón Fabbiani (born 3 September 1983 in Ciudad Evita) is an Argentine former professional footballer and current manager of Newell's Old Boys.

## Playing career
### Lanús and loans

Cristian Fabbiani was born on 3 September 1983 in Ciudad Evita, Argentina and he comes from a family of footballers, having 13 relatives from his father's side of the family who were professional footballers, including an uncle who played for Chile's national team, Óscar Fabbiani. He made his debut in the Argentine Primera División, playing for Lanús on 3 March 2002 when coach Carlos Aimar sent him on the field at half-time in order to replace Santiago Hoyos in a 1–1 with Estudiantes. He was used rarely in his first years spent at Lanus, being loaned at Chilean Primera División side, Palestino where he started to show an appetite for goal. During his period spent in Chile with Palestino, he was nicknamed El Ogro (English: The Ogre) which was a reference to a goal celebration he used to make using a Shrek mask.
At the beginning of 2005, he returned at Lanús, starting to show an appetite for goals by scoring one in his first match upon his return, a 2–2 with Boca Juniors, continuing to score a week later in a 3–0 home win over Gimnasia La Plata, by the end of the season he scored two braces, the first in a 2–0 win over Argentinos Juniors, the second in 6–0 with Almagro. Fabbiani started the following season by receiving a red card in the third round in a 1–1 with Boca Juniors but scored four goals by the end of the first half, one in a 3–1 victory over Colón, a double in a 2–1 with Arsenal de Sarandí and a goal in a 2–2 with Estudiantes de La Plata. In the second half of the season he scored another four goals in four victories against Rosario Central, Tiro Federal, River Plate and Newell's Old Boys but also received a red card in the game with the latter and another one with Estudiantes. He started the 2006–07 season at Lanús but after four games of which one was a 2–0 win over Vélez Sarsfield in the 2006 Copa Sudamericana, he went on loan to Israeli Premier League side, Beitar Jerusalem where he worked with coach Luis Fernandez, playing six league games without scoring, returning for the second half to Lanús but Beitar managed to win the title without him. On 4 March 2007, Fabbiani scored his last goal for Lanús when he closed the score in a 3–2 away victory against Rosario Central.

### CFR Cluj and loans

In 2007 he was transferred by Lanús in Romania at CFR Cluj, around the same time when compatriot Emmanuel Culio joined the squad, the transfer fee being estimated between 2–3 million €. Fabbiani made his Liga I debut under coach Ioan Andone on 1 August in a 1–0 away win over Oțelul Galați in which he provided an assist for a goal scored by Didi, which was eventually cancelled by the referee. He scored his first goal on 25 August in a 2–1 away victory against Gloria Buzău, scoring a brace on 16 September in a 2–0 away win over Farul Constanța. On 28 October, after receiving the ball with his back to the goal and kicking it from the return he scored a spectacular and decisive goal in a 2–1 win with Rapid București. By the end of 2007 he continued to score four more goals, one against UTA Arad, one in the Cluj derby with Universitatea Cluj and the last two against Gloria Bistrița and Oțelul Galați, except for the game with Bistrița which was a draw, all the other ones finished with victories. He started 2008 by scoring a double on 23 February in a 4–1 win over Universitatea Craiova, afterwards not scoring until 19 April when he closed the score with his heel in a 3–0 with UTA Arad. Fabbiani ended his first season with CFR by helping the club win The Double which were the first trophies in the club's history, contributing with 11 goals in 28 league matches which made him the team's second goalscorer with two behind Eugen Trică. He also played four games with one goal scored in a 3–0 with FC Săcele in the early stage of the Cupa României where in the final, Andone sent him on the field in the 77th minute in order to replace Diego Ruiz in the 2–1 win over Unirea Urziceni and he made his debut in a European club competition, playing in both legs of the 3–1 loss on aggregate in front of Anorthosis from the UEFA Cup second qualifying round. In the next season he played only in the first round for CFR, managing to score the final goal of the 4–0 victory with Otopeni, shortly afterwards being loaned to Argentine club Newell's Old Boys.
Fabbiani made his debut for Newell's under coach Fernando Gamboa on 13 September 2008 in a 2–1 victory over his former team, Lanús, having an appreciated evolution, the Olé newspaper writing:"A group achievement, sacrifice from everyone and an ace of swords...The Ogre Fabbiani". He scored his first goal on 21 September which was the only one of the victory with Independiente, afterwards until the end of the year managing to score four more goals against Argentinos Juniors, Estudiantes de La Plata, Banfield and San Lorenzo. In 2009, he was loaned again by CFR, this time at River Plate for a $500.000 fee. In the first round of the Clausura 2009, before a match against Colón he was presented to the fans on the El Monumental stadium together with Marcelo Gallardo, who was on his second return as a player, both of them wearing a River shirt with the motto: Por amor a River (English: For the love of River). His transfer caused a stir among River Plate supporters, which inspired the musician Javier Montes, who was a fan of the team to compose a song for him called La Banda del Ogro (English: The Band of the Ogre). He made his debut for River on 15 February when coach Néstor Gorosito sent him on the field in the 57th minute in order to replace Diego Buonanotte, making a couple in the team's offence with Radamel Falcao, Fabbiani managing to score just 10 minutes after entering the field the decisive goal of the 2–1 away victory over Rosario Central. He wouldn't score in the league until 13 June when he closed the score in a 3–1 win over Tigre. Fabbiani also represented Los Millonarios in continental tournaments, playing both legs and scoring a goal in the double with his former team, Lanús who eliminated them in the 2009 Copa Sudamericana first stage, also he played five games in the 2009 Copa Libertadores group stage.

### All Boys

In 2010, Fabbiani went to CD Veracruz to play in the Mexican second division, but he failed to impress in preseason training, resulting in Veracruz terminating the contract, shortly afterwards joining recently promoted Argentine Primera División side All Boys. He made his debut for them on 23 August when coach José Romero sent him on the field on the 81st minute in order to replace Mauro Matos in a 2–0 home victory with Boca Juniors. On 16 April 2011 he scored a brace in a 3–1 win over Huracán, these being his last goals scored in the Argentine Primera División, a competition in which he amassed a total of 123 appearances with 24 goals scored.

### Late career

From 2011 until 2016 he played for Argentine second league sides Independiente Rivadavia, and Estudiantes San Luis, also having two short spells abroad at Bolivian Primera División team, Sport Boys Warnes and Ecuadorian side, L.D.U. Portoviejo. Fabbiani spent the last years of his career playing in the fourth league of Argentine football at Deportivo Merlo, with a short 2018 interruption at Liga Panameña de Fútbol club, CD Universitario, announcing his retirement in October 2020.

## Managerial career

In June 2021, Fabbiani started his career as manager at Primera B Metropolitana club, Fenix de Pilar. After one year at Fenix in which he obtained only 6 victories his contract was not renewed but he went to coach Primera Nacional side, Deportivo Riestra in June 2022, staying with them until April 2023 when he returned to Primera B Metropolitana at Deportivo Merlo whom he helped avoid relegation. In February 2024 he went back to coach Deportivo Riestra, this time in the Argentine Primera División, making his debut in a 3–0 home loss in front of River Plate.

## Honours

Beitar Jerusalem
* Israeli Premier League: 2006–07
CFR Cluj
* Liga I: 2007–08
* Cupa României: 2007–08