Fernandinho (footballer, born May 1985)

Fernandinho (footballer, born May 1985)
Fernando Luiz Roza (born 4 May 1985), known as Fernandinho, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Campeonato Brasileiro Série A club Athletico Paranaense. He has also captained the Brazil national team on many occasions. Fernandinho is regarded as one of the best defensive midfielders of his generation and one of the best Brazilians to ever play in the Premier League. He is well known for his 9 year spell with Premier League club Manchester City where he won 5 Premier League titles, an FA Cup, six EFL Cups, two Community Shields, assuming captaincy in the 2020-2021 season and being instrumental in leading Manchester City to the 2021 Champions League final, where he earned a runners-up medal.
Fernandinho started his career at Brazilian club Atlético Paranaense before moving to Shakhtar Donetsk in 2005, where he became one of the best foreign players to ever play in the Ukrainian Premier League. With Shakhtar, he won six Ukrainian Premier League titles, four Ukrainian Cups and the 2008–09 UEFA Cup. He was voted by the Shakhtar Donetsk fans as the best Brazilian player to ever play for the team.
The scorer of the only goal in the final of the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship and a full international for Brazil from 2011 to 2019, he was part of their squad which came fourth at the 2014 FIFA World Cup and also competed at the 2015 Copa América, the 2018 FIFA World Cup, and the 2019 Copa América, winning the latter tournament.
Club career
Atlético Paranaense
Fernandinho began his career at Atlético Paranaense alongside his future Shakhtar teammate Jádson and close friend Carlos. In Paranaense he was runners-up of both the Brazilian first division (in 2004) and the Libertadores da America, in 2005. He made 72 appearances for the club, scoring 14 goals, before moving to Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk for a fee of around £7 million.
Shakhtar Donetsk
2005–09: Initial league championships and UEFA Cup
In his first season as a Shakhtar player he played 34 matches, including 23 league appearances, and scored three goals, with one coming in the league. Shakhtar were victorious in the Super Cup, however Fernandinho did not play in the match. He played in the championship deciding match between Shakhtar and Dynamo Kyiv, who were level on 75 points after all 30 games had been played, in which Shakhtar prevailed 2–1 to take the title. This marked Fernandinho's first league title with Shakhtar. He made 25 league appearances in the 2006–07 season as Shakhtar finished 2nd to Dynamo Kyiv. They also finished as runners-up in the Ukrainian Cup and Ukrainian Super Cup.
In the 2007–08 season Shakhtar regained the championship with Fernandinho playing a pivotal role by scoring 11 goals, including one from the penalty spot, in 29 league appearances. He failed to appear in just one league match during the season. Shakhtar were also victorious in the Ukrainian Cup, giving Fernandinho his first cup success. However they were defeated in the Super Cup by Dynamo Kyiv for the second year in a row. After the match finished 2–2, it went to penalties and, although Fernandinho converted a penalty, Shakhtar lost 4–2.
On 15 July 2008, Fernandinho played in the Super Cup victory against Dynamo Kyiv. The match went to penalties after the two teams drew 1–1 at the end of extra time. Fernandinho scored one of the penalties to help Shakhtar to a 5–3 win in the shoot-out. He scored the equalising goal in a 1–1 draw with Karpaty Lviv on 27 July. On 3 August he picked up a 63rd minute red card in a 3–0 victory over Illichivets Mariupol. On 31 August he scored a penalty in a 2–2 draw against Metalurh Zaporizhya. On 16 September he scored the opening goal in a 2–1 Champions League victory against Swiss club Basel. On 8 November, he scored the opening goal in a 2–0 victory against Tavriya Simferopol. On 9 December he scored a goal in Shakhtar's 3–2 away win against Spanish side Barcelona in the Champions League group stage match.
On 26 February 2009, Fernandinho scored the equalising goal in Shakhtar's 1–1 away leg draw against English team Tottenham Hotspur in the UEFA Cup. Shakhtar won the tie 3–1 on aggregate. On 7 March, he scored the only goal, a penalty, in a 1–0 victory against Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk. On 15 March, he opened the scoring from the penalty spot in a 3–0 victory against Metalist Kharkiv. On 19 March he scored a penalty in Shakhtar's 2–0 victory over Russian team CSKA Moscow in the UEFA Cup. Shakhtar won the tie 2–1 on aggregate. On 16 April he netted a goal in a 2–1 UEFA Cup win against Marseille. Shakhtar emerged victorious from the tie with a 4–1 aggregate win. He also scored a pivotal equalising goal in the first leg of the UEFA Cup semi final match against Dynamo Kyiv which finished 1–1. Shakhtar advanced to the final by virtue of a 3–2 aggregate victory after securing a 2–1 win at the Donbass Arena in the second leg.
Shakhtar won the UEFA Cup with a 2–1 victory over German side Werder Bremen in the last UEFA Cup before it was renamed the UEFA Europa League. He made 42 total appearances, including 21 in the league, and scored 11 goals, including five in the league, in the 2008–09 season.
2009–13: Domestic dominance and individual success
The 2009–10 season saw Shakhtar lift the Premier League trophy. Fernandinho's first goal came on 29 July, in a 2–2 Champions League draw against Politehnica Timișoara in the third qualifying round, however Shakhtar were knocked out of the competition, losing on away goals after a 0–0 draw at home. On 20 September, he scored a penalty in a 4–2 victory over Arsenal Kyiv. He scored two goals in a 5–1 victory over Karpaty Lviv on 18 October, including one from the penalty spot. On 22 October the first goal, a penalty, in a 4–0 victory against French side Toulouse in the Europa League. He scored a 93rd-minute goal in a 2–0 Ukrainian Cup victory against Dynamo Kyiv on 28 October. On 6 December he scored a penalty to open the scoring in a 2–0 win over Kryvbas. On 24 March, he scored a 92nd-minute goal against Metalurh Donetsk in the Ukrainian Cup, however it proved to be only a consolation goal as Shakhtar lost the match 2–1. Fernandinho made 24 league appearances, netting 4 times. He made a total of 39 appearances with 8 goals.
In the following season Fernandinho played in the 7–1 Super Cup win over Tavriya Simferopol on 4 July. On 18 July, he netted an equalising goal in a 1–1 draw with Metalurh Zaporizhya. On 7 August he scored the opening goal in a 5–0 win over Sevastopol. He also played a part in the 1–0 UEFA Super Cup defeat to Barcelona on 28 August. He suffered a broken leg in a 1–0 defeat to Obolon Kyiv on 10 September, which was expected to rule him out for the entire season. He eventually returned on 1 April 2011 after almost seven months out of action in a 3–1 victory over Illichivets Mariupol. He scored a late 94th-minute match-winning goal in a 2–1 victory over Tavriya, his first goal since returning from injury. On 25 May, he played the full 90 minutes in Shakhtar's 2–0 Ukrainian Cup Final victory over Dynamo Kyiv. At the end of the season Shakhtar won the championship, with Fernandinho contributing three goals from his 15 league appearances. They managed to win three prizes (Premier League, Cup and Super Cup).
Fernandinho began the 2011–12 season with Shakhtar's only goal in a 3–1 Super Cup defeat to Dynamo Kyiv. On 31 July he scored Shakhtar's only goal in a match against Arsenal Kyiv, however a 95th-minute equaliser prevented them from winning the match and taking all three points. He netted a goal in a 3–1 victory against Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk on 13 August. On 27 November he scored the second goal, from a penalty, in a 5–0 victory over Karpaty Lviv. On 27 April, he scored a penalty in a 4–3 Ukrainian Cup match against Volyn Lutsk. He netted the winning goal in a 2–1 victory against Metalist Kharkiv on 2 May. He scored six goals in 32 appearances, with 24 appearances and four goals in the league, over the season. He played in the Ukrainian Cup Final victory over Metalurh Donetsk. At the end of the season, with his contract due to expire, he signed a new five-year contract with the club until 2016. Shakhtar retained the league title for the third year in a row, Fernandinho's fifth overall with the club, and also secured another Cup trophy, their second in a row.
Fernandinho started the 2012–13 season by assisting Douglas Costa for the second goal in a 2–0 Super Cup victory over Metalurh Donetsk. This marked his third success in the Super Cup with Shakhtar. He assisted Yevhen Seleznyov's goal in the 3–1 victory over Hoverla Uzhhorod. He netted a late goal to earn Shakhtar three points in a 1–0 win over Kryvbas. He assisted Henrikh Mkhitaryan for the first goal in a 4–1 victory over Vorskla Poltava. On 23 September, he scored a goal in a 4–1 Ukrainian Cup last 32 victory against Dynamo Kyiv and was named man of the match. He assisted Henrikh Mkhitaryan for the second goal in a 2–0 victory against Metalist Kharkiv on 7 October. Fernandinho scored the second goal in a 2–1 victory against English side Chelsea in the Champions League group stage on 23 October, shooting low with his right foot into the bottom corner.
Manchester City
On 6 June 2013, Fernandinho became Manchester City's first signing of the summer, for a fee of £34 million. He signed a four-year deal and is understood to have waived around £4 million owed to him by Shakhtar in order to complete the transfer, as he was desperate to secure a move away from the Ukrainian club. During his time at Shakhtar, the Brazilian wore the number 7 shirt, but due to midfielder James Milner already occupying the number at City, Fernandinho had to choose another. In an interview with Manchester City, Fernandinho recalled a conversation with his son in which his son said, "My dad is the new number 25," and so Fernandinho subsequently chose 25 as his new number.
2013–14: Premier League win
Fernandinho made his Premier League debut on 19 August 2013 against Newcastle United in a 4–0 home win. He scored his first two goals for Manchester City on 14 December 2013 against Arsenal in a 6–3 home win and was also named man of the match after a classical display.
On 1 January 2014, he scored his third goal of the season in a 2–3 away win against Swansea City. On 2 February, Fernandinho sustained a thigh injury in training, which kept him out of action for two weeks.
On 2 March, Fernandinho appeared for City in the League Cup final against Sunderland, where he won his first trophy in England with a 3–1 win. On 11 May, Fernandinho was part of the squad who secured the Premier League title in a 2–0 win against West Ham United. He did not start the game, but appeared as a substitute for striker Edin Džeko in the 69th minute.
2014–17: Positional changes and adaptation
On 5 November 2014, in a 2014–15 Champions League group match against CSKA Moscow, Fernandinho replaced Jesús Navas at half-time with Manchester City 1–2 down at home. He was then sent off in the 70th minute for a second booking, with teammate Yaya Touré following later, as the team lost and fell to last place in the group.
On 16 August 2015, Fernandinho scored the final goal in City's 3–0 win over Chelsea. He added to his tally two weeks later, with his club's second goal in a City defeat of Watford in the Premier League. Fernandinho started as City beat Liverpool in the 2016 Football League Cup Final. He scored to put City 1–0 up and then missed his penalty in the subsequent shootout after Liverpool equalised, but City still won the game.
Fernandinho's role in the club became so significant that the manager, Pep Guardiola, said: “If a team has three Fernandinhos, they would be champions. We have one, but he is fast, he is intelligent, he is strong in the air, he can play several positions. When he sees the space he will run there immediately. When you need to make a correction, you just need one player to challenge, and he is there.”
2017–22: Sustained domestic success, captaincy, and departure
Fernandinho continued to play a vital role for Manchester City in the 2017–18 season, helping them win their third Premier League title, and his second. He scored three goals and provided three assists in 30 appearances for the title winners. Fernandinho also appeared in the 2018 League Cup final for City when they defeated Arsenal 3–0, however he was substituted after 52 minutes because of an injury.
Following the departure of Yaya Touré, Fernandinho began the season as Manchester City's only natural defensive midfielder. The Brazilian played a vital role in the club's demanding title race against Liverpool, starting every Premier League match until a thigh injury prevented him from playing against Crystal Palace and Leicester City in December - two games that the team subsequently lost. However, Fernandinho was able to return to fitness in time for a season-defining home match against title rivals Liverpool. He was named the Man of the Match following a highly praised performance in midfield that helped City beat their rivals 2–1. Of the performance, the BBC Sport's Phil McNulty wrote, "At the heart of it all was the magnificent Fernandinho - a man seemingly irreplaceable among the City's stellar cast - as he delivered a masterclass of controlled midfield play to steady his side when required."
In February's EFL Cup final against Chelsea, Fernandinho picked up a muscle injury during extra time and, for the remainder of the season, struggled to remain fit. İlkay Gündoğan took his place in City's midfield for the majority of the remaining games, which saw the team go on a 14 game winning-streak to win the Premier League title on the final day of the season. Fernandinho ended the Premier League season with one goal and three assists in 29 appearances.
With Fernandinho's age becoming an area of concern for the club, Manchester City signed Rodri from Atlético Madrid over the summer. Because of the new midfield acquisition, Gündogan's excellent performances as a defensive midfielder at the end of the previous season, and central defender Vincent Kompany's departure, Guardiola planned to use Fernandinho as a back-up central defender throughout the season. An injury to first-choice centre-half Aymeric Laporte just 4 weeks into the season, however, meant that the manager had to rely on Fernandinho to lead his defensive line. He subsequently started nearly every Premier League match following Laporte's injury, with all of his appearances for the season being in central defence. On 28 January 2020, it was announced that he had signed a one-year contract extension with the club.
On 20 September 2020, Guardiola confirmed that Fernandinho was selected as the club's new captain, following the departure of David Silva. On 25 April 2021, Fernandinho lifted his first piece of silverware as Manchester City captain. He started the League Cup final, as City won 1–0 against Tottenham Hotspur to win the competition for the fourth year in a row. It was the 6th of Fernandinho’s career, making him the competition’s most decorated player. On 11 May 2021, local rivals Manchester United were defeated 2–1 by Leicester City, securing City’s fifth Premier league title and seventh First Division title overall. This was Fernandinho’s fourth Premier League title and his first as captain. On 29 June 2021, Fernandinho once again signed a new one-year deal with the Citizens.
On 12 February 2022, after an impressive performance against Norwich City, Jamie Redknapp referred to Fernandinho as the “number 1 defensive midfielder the Premier League has ever seen” whilst mentioning that he thought Fernandinho was a better player than the former Arsenal and France midfielder Patrick Vieira, former Manchester United legend Roy Keane and former Chelsea midfielder Claude Makélélé. On 9 March, Fernandinho made his 100th Champions League appearance in a 0–0 draw against Sporting CP.
On 12 April, Fernandinho announced that he would be leaving Manchester City at the end of the season.
Return to Athletico Paranaense
On 28 June 2022, Fernardinho returned to Campeonato Brasileiro Série A club Athletico Paranaense.
International career
On 11 August 2011, Fernandinho made his first appearance for the Brazil national team in a 3–2 friendly defeat against Germany. He won four further caps during the 2011–12 season but did not appear in another Seleção squad until February 2014.
On 5 March 2014, Fernandinho scored his first international goal on his return to the Brazil team in a 5–0 win over South Africa. In May 2014, he was named in Brazil's squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He made his tournament debut as a half-time substitute for Paulinho in the third game of the group stage, scoring the last goal in the 4–1 victory against Cameroon. He was then selected in the starting line-up for Brazil's penalty shootout defeat of Chile in the round of 16. Fernandinho played a full match against Colombia in the quarter-finals, and played the first 45 minutes before being taken off in Brazil's 1–7 loss to Germany in the semi-finals: Brazil's biggest ever defeat at the World Cup.
In May 2018 he was named in Tite's final 23 man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. On 6 July, Brazil were eliminated from the 2018 World Cup by Belgium in the quarter-finals, losing 2–1, with Fernandinho scoring an own goal for Belgium.
In May 2019, Fernandinho was included in Brazil's 23-man squad for the 2019 Copa América.
Style of play and impact
Fernandinho is well known for his pace and ability to shoot from long distances, as well as his energy, technique, movement, and work-rate. He has been described in the media as "a defensive midfielder with a box to box style of play, contributing in large part to the defense and the attack. With a powerful shot and great passing range, Fernandinho has played an important part in breaking up opposition attacks and creating goal scoring opportunities". Jonathan Wilson, when writing for The Guardian in 2013, described Fernandinho as a holding midfielder who can "make tackles," and who is "capable of regaining the ball," while also noting that he frequently functioned "as the more "creative player alongside a destroyer." However, he also clarified that while "Fernandinho is a fine long passer, [...] he is not an Alonso or an Andrea Pirlo type; he is not a regista. Rather he likes to make forward surges, just as Touré does, and, as he showed against Arsenal on Saturday, is more than capable of scoring goals when chances present themselves." As such, he labelled Fernandinho as a "carrier" or "surger," namely "a player capable of making late runs or carrying the ball at his feet." Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has praised Fernandinho for his intelligence, versatility, ability in the air, and wide range of skills, noting that "Fernandinho can do everything," also citing his important role in the club's successes. Due to a series of injuries to the Manchester City first team's defensive players, Guardiola also deployed Fernandinho as a centre-back on occasion during the 2019–20 season, a position in which he received praise in the media for his performances.
The importance and magnitude of work played by Fernandinho in Manchester City also becomes apparent in his absence. The three defeats in December 2018 in the Premier League were mostly attributed to the fact Fernandinho didn't play due to injury. Based on the statistics from around that time, it was found that City won 10% more games when Fernandinho was in the starting line-up, and the main reason being his ability to both destroy a rival's attack, and create new opportunities for his team through his long-distance passes.
Personal life
Fernandinho is married and has one son, Davi, born on 5 March 2010, and a daughter, Mariana, born on 28 January 2017. Aside from his native Portuguese, Fernandinho reportedly speaks Russian, Italian, Spanish and English. Fernandinho is a devout Christian; concerning his personal faith, he has stated: "Jesus is my biggest inspiration."
Career statistics
Club
International
As of match played 18 June 2019. Scores and results list Brazil's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Fernandinho goal.
Honours
Athletico Paranaense
Campeonato Paranaense: 2005, 2023
Copa Libertadores runner-up: 2005, 2022
Shakhtar Donetsk
Vyshcha Liha/Ukrainian Premier League: 2005–06, 2007–08, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2012–13
Ukrainian Cup: 2007–08, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2012–13
Ukrainian Super Cup: 2008, 2012
UEFA Cup: 2008–09
Manchester City
Premier League: 2013–14, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2020–21, 2021–22
Football League Cup/EFL Cup: 2013–14, 2015–16, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20, 2020–21
FA Community Shield: 2018
UEFA Champions League runner-up: 2020–21
Brazil U20
FIFA World Youth Championship: 2003
Brazil
Copa América: 2019
Individual
Top Player of the Ukrainian Premier League: 2007–08
PFA Team of the Year: 2018–19 Premier League
Manchester City Goal of the Season: 2017–18
Premier League Most Powerful Goal of the Season: 2021–22
References
External links
Fernandinho profile at Club Athletico Paranaense website
1985 births
Living people
Footballers from Londrina
Brazilian men's footballers
Brazil men's under-20 international footballers
Brazil men's international footballers
Men's association football midfielders
Club Athletico Paranaense players
FC Shakhtar Donetsk players
UEFA Cup winning players
Manchester City F.C. players
Campeonato Brasileiro Série A players
Ukrainian Premier League players
Premier League players
2014 FIFA World Cup players
2015 Copa América players
2018 FIFA World Cup players
2019 Copa América players
Copa América-winning players
Brazilian expatriate men's footballers
Expatriate men's footballers in England
Expatriate men's footballers in Ukraine
Brazilian expatriate sportspeople in England
Brazilian expatriate sportspeople in Ukraine
Brazilian Christians