Once a Red: Fabio Borini, the striker who became a Wearside hero

Last Wednesday evening, Fabio Borini announced his retirement from football at the age of 35.

For Liverpool supporters, he will mostly be remembered as Brendan Rodgers’ first signing, a forward who scored three goals in 38 appearances between 2012 and 2015. It is a modest return, and it hides a far more interesting story.

Injuries wrecked most of his first season at Anfield. A goal at St James’ Park lifted the gloom for an afternoon, and a loan spell at Sunderland turned him into a cult hero. He scored in a League Cup final at Wembley, converted the penalty that ended José Mourinho’s 77-match unbeaten home league run at Stamford Bridge and helped Sunderland to escape relegation.

So this seems the right moment to look back at an Italian who never stopped fighting, and who gave Liverpool supporters a few moments worth remembering.

From Bentivoglio to Chelsea

Borini was born on 29 March 1991 in Bentivoglio, Italy, and he left home for Chelsea as a 16-year-old.

He made eight first-team appearances for Chelsea, but the real breakthrough was still to come.

He had also already crossed paths with Brendan Rodgers at Chelsea, and the two would soon be reunited.

Swansea, Roma and Italy

In 2011, Borini joined Swansea City on loan from Chelsea. Rodgers was now Swansea’s manager, and the move worked beautifully.

Borini scored six goals in 12 appearances and helped Swansea win promotion to the Premier League.

With his Chelsea contract due to expire, he returned to Italy that summer. He signed for Parma and then moved to Roma, where his career really took off.

At Roma he scored nine Serie A goals, including two in a 4-0 win over Inter in February 2012.

Later that month he won his only senior cap for Italy, and he was named in the squad for Euro 2012, where Italy reached the final. He did not get on the pitch in Poland and Ukraine, but his stock had never been higher.

Rodgers’ first signing

Liverpool completed the signing of Borini from Roma on 13 July 2012. He became the first signing of Brendan Rodgers’ reign at Anfield.

Rodgers had worked with him before and clearly liked what he saw. Borini was given the number 29 shirt.

Borini also arrived with his own trademark. After scoring, he would draw the side of his hand across his mouth, as if holding a knife between his teeth.

In Italy it is a saying for a warrior, someone who never gives up and always gets back up after a fall.

It would turn out to be a fitting image for his career.

A goal on his Anfield debut

His home debut came on 9 August 2012, in the second leg of Liverpool’s Europa League third qualifying round tie against FC Gomel of Belarus. Liverpool had won the first leg 1-0.

Early in the first half, Luis Suárez jinked along the byline and his attempted cross was deflected into Borini’s path. Borini thumped a low volley into the net.

It was his first goal for Liverpool, and Anfield rose to celebrate another new arrival.

Steven Gerrard and Glen Johnson added the others in a 3-0 win, and it could hardly have been a better start.

A season of bad luck

Sadly, the rest of that first season did not follow the script.

Borini suffered a broken foot in the autumn of 2012 and was sidelined for months.

Then, on 17 February 2013, he came on as a substitute against Swansea, the club where he had made his name, and dislocated his shoulder. Rodgers said he would miss the rest of the season.

Yet he was back on the bench for the trip to Newcastle on 27 April 2013, with Liverpool already 4-0 up. He replaced Steven Gerrard in the 72nd minute.

Within a couple of minutes, Stewart Downing had wriggled to the byline and pulled the ball back, and Borini finished low past Rob Elliot to score his first Premier League goal.

Liverpool won 6-0. Borini finished the season with 20 appearances and two goals.

The making of a cult hero

With first-team chances limited at Anfield, Borini joined Sunderland on a season-long loan in September 2013.

Sunderland had made a miserable start to the season, and his first goal for the club came in the derby against Newcastle on 27 October 2013.

He came off the bench and, with six minutes left, struck from 20 yards past Tim Krul to win it 2-1. It was Sunderland’s first win of the season.

The Stadium of Light took him to its heart.

Borini was just as important in the League Cup.

On 17 December 2013, he scored a late equaliser against Chelsea in the quarter-final, and Sunderland went on to win 2-1 in extra time.

On 7 January 2014, in the first leg of the semi-final against Manchester United at the Stadium of Light, he scored a second-half penalty to make it 2-1. Sunderland then won the tie on penalties at Old Trafford to reach Wembley.

Wembley and Stamford Bridge

On 2 March 2014, Borini put Sunderland ahead in the League Cup final after only ten minutes.

Adam Johnson’s long ball sent him chasing towards Vincent Kompany. Borini got the better of the City defender and swept a finish past Costel Pantilimon with the outside of his right foot.

Sunderland led at half-time. Manchester City came back to win 3-1, but Borini had given Sunderland supporters a day to remember.

There was more to come.

At one stage Sunderland were seven points from safety, but they kept fighting. On 19 April 2014, the bottom club travelled to Stamford Bridge, where Chelsea were chasing the title alongside Liverpool.

Samuel Eto’o gave Chelsea the lead and Connor Wickham equalised. Then, with eight minutes left, César Azpilicueta brought down Jozy Altidore in the box.

Borini stepped up and sent Mark Schwarzer the wrong way. Sunderland won 2-1, and José Mourinho’s 77-match unbeaten league run at Stamford Bridge was over.

It was a result that helped Liverpool’s title challenge, with Chelsea due at Anfield a week later. Liverpool supporters know how that afternoon ended, but for one Saturday in west London a Liverpool player on loan at Sunderland had done his bit.

By the end of the season Borini had scored 10 goals for Sunderland, who stayed up, and he was named the club’s Young Player of the Year.

Back at Anfield

Sunderland wanted to make the move permanent in the summer of 2014, but Borini chose to return to Anfield and fight for his place.

It was not easy. He made 18 appearances in 2014-15 and scored once.

That goal was a good one. On 17 January 2015, at Villa Park, Jordan Henderson, captaining Liverpool in Gerrard’s absence, scooped the ball into Borini’s path and the Italian finished beautifully to put Liverpool ahead.

Rickie Lambert, who replaced him later in the game, added the second in a 2-0 win.

It was Borini’s first Liverpool goal since April 2013. It was also his last.

Back to Wearside

On 31 August 2015, the last day of the summer transfer window, Borini left Liverpool for Sunderland on a permanent deal.

He helped Sunderland avoid relegation in 2015-16, scoring important goals as they stayed up.

The club went down the following year, and Borini moved on to AC Milan, first on loan and then permanently.

A flourish in Turkey

Spells at Hellas Verona and in Turkey followed.

At Fatih Karagümrük in 2022-23, Borini scored 20 goals in 30 Süper Lig games.

He then returned to Italy with Sampdoria and later finished his career at Salford City in League Two.

It was a long way from the 16-year-old who had left Italy for Chelsea.

The goodbye

Borini confirmed his retirement on social media last Wednesday evening, having left Salford without a new club.

His message was short, and it was rather lovely.

“I want to thank that kid who never stopped believing,” Borini wrote. “And the man I am today will keep believing in the next opportunity, this time without a ball at my feet, but with that same belief. Always.”

It is a message that sums him up.

What might have been at Liverpool?

At Liverpool, the timing never quite worked for him.

A broken foot and a dislocated shoulder cost him much of his first season, and by the time he was fit, the competition for places in attack was fierce.

He was never a flop, and he never quite became a regular. He was a willing young forward who ran into injuries and bad timing, and who found his best form elsewhere.

His record of three goals in 38 appearances will never be remembered as a great one, but those three goals were all worth celebrating.

Once a Red

For Liverpool supporters, Fabio Borini will always be Rodgers’ first signing.

He will be remembered for the volley against Gomel, the goal at Newcastle after his long lay-off and the finish at Villa Park.

But Wearside will remember the derby winner, the goal at Wembley and the penalty at Stamford Bridge.

He was an Italian with a knife between his teeth who never gave up.

Thank you, Fabio, and good luck with whatever comes next.