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."