Fernandinho: Half Brazilian, Half Mancunian

It wasn’t always a given that he would be a success at City of course.

He came to Manchester at the start of Manuel Pellegrini’s reign as a 28-year-old who had only played in Brazil and Ukraine.

Eight years at Shakhtar Donetsk would clearly have prepared him for something out of City’s control and an oft-mentioned stumbling block for Brazilians: the weather.

The question instead was the inevitable jump in quality that came from moving from Ukraine to the Premier League.

Also, it was immediately obvious that he was here to take the place of Gareth Barry – a universally adored figure in the squad and at the Etihad for his selfless running and faultless passing.

He did his best to endear himself to our fans before even taking to the pitch, stating that joining City was ‘a dream’.

Speaking in his first interview as a City player, he said:

“My ambition here is to win all the titles, the team here is strong, and so is the greatness of the club and the supporters.

“Professionally this is a spectacular thing. Playing for a huge club in a huge league makes me so happy. I hope I will be able to repay City for what they have done for me.

“I know I will face challenges but I am prepared for them. Every player at a high level faces pressure and must respond and I am ready for that too. I know a lot about City. Ever since they expressed an interest in me, I have been learning more.”

His job in that first season would be to partner with Yaya Toure at the heart of our midfield.

While it quickly became clear that Fernandinho would be the more defensively minded of the pair, Director of Football Txiki Begiristain revealed when Fernandinho left that wasn’t always the plan.

“With Yaya, you are going to be the perfect partnership because Yaya had the football but he was losing energy and you came with wonderful energy,” he said.

“With Pellegrini, we said ‘Let’s make a double pivot.’ You both would take turns. In the end, Yaya never tracked back and you had to stay!”

It worked spectacularly in 2013/14, as City won the League Cup and a second Premier League title and Yaya scored an incredible 24 goals from midfield.

With David Silva and Samir Nasri also most used in midfield behind a strike partnership made up of two of Sergio Aguero, Edin Dzeko, Alvaro Negredo and Stevan Jovetic, that meant a lot of running for Fernandinho.

As is always the case at the Etihad, the home crowd spotted just how integral if unflashy Fernandinho’s contribution was from the off.

That isn’t to say our new man wasn’t capable of shining in the final third, he scored five goals himself in his first year but his chief responsibility was to patrol the empty space left by onrushing attackers.

Speaking years later, Yaya gave a lot of the credit for his performances that season to both Fernandinho and Pellegrini.

"He [Pellegrini] saw his central midfielders as the most important players on the pitch, and he told me to go wherever I wanted to influence the game, because Fernandinho would be there to cover for me,” said Yaya in 2021.

“He pushed me, gave me more responsibility. He said he didn’t want to see too many passes – he wanted us to run with the ball and attack the goal.”

For his own part, Fernandinho agreed tactical understanding had come a long way himself from the youngster who learnt the game at home before being picked up by Athletico Paranaense.

“In Brazil it’s very common for players to play on the street in barefoot,” he said.

“They get plastic balls or whatever they can find and use their imagination to create a game of football.

“Sometimes it’s two against two, sometimes three against three. You get some one against one as well.

“I didn’t really understand the concept of having a position at that time.

“Sometimes I’d start in goal because I was the youngest, then I played in the backline. Sometimes I would play in midfield and attack and we would rotate so we could play in every position whilst having fun at the same time.

“That helped me a lot when I started to train to become a professional footballer.”

The following two seasons were tougher, as we finished second and fourth in the Premier League and picked up a second League Cup in 2015/16.

That may be when the Brazilian truly proved his mettle however, playing 93 times as the unflappable presence at the heart of the side that lost some of its swashbuckling sparkle from 2013/14.

However, the summer of 2016 saw the arrival of Pep Guardiola as boss and the start of the greatest era in the Club’s history and the building of one of English football’s greatest ever teams.v

Guardiola would need a year to rebuild the squad in his image and set us up for the glittering success to follow, but there was never any doubt he’d come to rely upon Fernandinho.

He played a further 44 games in 2016/17 as Guardiola adjusted to the Premier League and even though he was now over 30, Fernandinho appeared renewed.

In fact, in the CITY+ documentary that tracked the Brazilian’s final days at City he confirmed that the Catalan’s arrival at City had a profound impact on him.

“You don’t know how much I learned in this time and I’m going to tell you something I never told anyone before. You made me fall in love with football again,” he said.

Pep then smiles and asks, “You were getting tired of it?”

“Yes, I was,” replies Ferna. “I learned to play a different way.

“But I learned that football is much simpler than everyone says.

“People will tell you football is complex - that is this, that it is that - but it isn’t.

“Many of these things I take with me for the rest of my life, and I will try and apply that message so others can learn, too.”

2017/18 brought a 4-3-3 shape that was so perfectly crafted it garnered a record 100 Premier League points – a tally that looks likely to stand as the best for a long, long time.

It saw Fernandinho operate in the space behind David Silva and Kevin De Bruyne, who were given extensive responsibilities in terms of creating chances and dictating play.

While the pair would have to do their defensive due diligence too, such an attacking ideal could not have been conceived without the energy and tactical nous of Fernandinho.

He played 48 times as the Centurions also lifted another League Cup.

With De Bruyne injured for a large part of 2018/19, Ilkay Gundogan and Bernardo Silva stepped more often into that role – but there was no doubt that Fernandinho was the immovable object at the base of midfield and everybody felt the better for it.

“I think Ferna’s one of the best holding midfielders I’ve ever played with and its worth remembering that he’s 30 years-old – incredible that he has so much energy – you don’t see that everywhere in players who are 30 so we are very lucky to have him, said De Bruyne in 2017.

“He’s been an important player throughout his time at City and he plays a pivotal role for us in midfield and helps keep everything organised - plus he’s also very good on the ball.

Meanwhile, Pep said he’d reached a standard in the holding midfield role that our boss himself never attained and even suggested he was the best in his position in the world.

“Fernandinho always plays with us - he is so important,” said the boss in 2017.

“He can play in 10 positions. Last season he played full-back many times. It’s important to create a good team with good guys and he is one of them.

“He is a fundamental player for us and I am happy to have him.”

Asked whether he thought Ferna was the best player in his position in the world, the Catalan replied:

“Yes, right now there’s no doubt about that, one of the best.”

Guardiola would need a year to rebuild the squad in his image and set us up for the glittering success to follow, but there was never any doubt he’d come to rely upon Fernandinho.

He played a further 44 games in 2016/17 as Guardiola adjusted to the Premier League and even though he was now over 30, Fernandinho appeared renewed.

In fact, in the CITY+ documentary that tracked the Brazilian’s final days at City he confirmed that the Catalan’s arrival at City had a profound impact on him.

“You don’t know how much I learned in this time and I’m going to tell you something I never told anyone before. You made me fall in love with football again,” he said.

Pep then smiles and asks, “You were getting tired of it?”

“Yes, I was,” replies Ferna. “I learned to play a different way.

“But I learned that football is much simpler than everyone says.

“People will tell you football is complex - that is this, that it is that - but it isn’t.

“Many of these things I take with me for the rest of my life, and I will try and apply that message so others can learn, too.”

The 2018/19 campaign brought a domestic quadruple and 42 further appearances for Fernandinho as he became a leader amongst the dressing room.

Incredibly, this was also the only season in which he was named in the PFA Team of the Year.

The end of that season saw the arrival of a rough diamond from Spain by the name of Rodri.

Joining from Atletico Madrid, Rodri was a defensive midfielder that Guardiola and Begiristain had coveted.

Some players may have seen that competition as an affront. Instead, Fernandinho saw what was best for the team and outlined how he’d help the new signing.

“We are going to work closely, and I will be there for him to talk and advise him with whatever he needs, but of course he’s already a quality player who I like very much,” he said in August 2019.

“He has done really well in pre-season and in the first few games he’s played in the Premier League.

“He’s tall, technically very good and he’s going to help us a lot this season and for the future.”

That’s why Fernandinho’s pride after Rodri’s historic Ballon d’Or success last year was so obviously genuine.

“I am really proud of him,” he said.

“I saw him growing up, going through the process to become one of the most consistent players in  the world, playing for a top team and for his national side.

“It’s really nice when you see someone really close to you winning this award.

“Obviously individually it’s a really nice award but I’m pretty sure he knows he’s got the contribution from the club and every player who helped him achieve that moment.”

Rodri’s arrival in Manchester was well-timed as a defensive injury crisis marred the 2019/20 campaign.

With a ready-made replacement in midfield, Fernandinho was free to again demonstrate his willingness to do what’s best for the team by turning out in central defence.

Smaller than most others who line up in that position in the Premier League, the Brazilian made up for his lack of stature with a determination in the tackle and, again, an understanding of the game that meant he was never out of position.

Despite now featuring everywhere across midfield and defence in his seven seasons at City, the Brazilian was never out of his depth in any position.

We couldn’t make it three titles in a row that season and the COVID-19 lockdown meant a difficult time for all concerned.

David Silva had been made captain in 2019 after Vincent Kompany’s departure but when the Spanish maestro left at the end of 2019/20, there was only really one choice for the next skipper.

Seven years of selfless service had made Fernandinho respected at City and throughout the Premier League and so the squad voted to have the Brazilian lead our charge to regain the title.

Guardiola gave the decision his backing, stating: “He will be good as he always has done since I met him. It doesn’t matter whether he is the first captain or not. Always, he is a guy leading.

“The players and staff decide, and I am more than delighted.”

On becoming the captain, Fernandinho himself said: “It feels good. For me, personally, it’s a big honour, I’m so proud. Since I came here, I had lots of respect from everyone, so now I become the captain,” the Brazilian reflected.

“It’s good, I try to put everything in place, especially off the pitch. Because what we do off the pitch obviously affects what happens on the pitch as well, so that’s the way I think.

“They know me very well and when you have someone you can trust, you can put some more effort in training sessions and in the game because, at the end of the day, we are here for one purpose and we all go together in the same direction

“I think the captain never works alone so you have extra help as well, but for sure we have guys who can manage some situations as well.

“Team-mates that have been at the club for a long time and they know exactly how this team runs and how the club works, such as Kun Aguero, Kevin De Bruyne, Raheem Sterling, Kyle Walker, Ilkay Gundogan.

“All of them could be captains, you know their mentality, they are a bit older as well and they understand much better the team and the club than when they arrived five or six years ago.

“People here respect you. This has really touched me, so maybe I can consider myself almost half Mancunian already.

“I need to spend more time here to be a full Mancunian but for sure, my kids already have the Mancunian accent.”

So often an underrated figure by the rest of the division, those around the world had no choice but to take notice when Fernandinho lifted the Premier League trophy aloft in May 2021 at the end of his first season as captain.

More than just a token job, Fernandinho had taken his role incredibly seriously and his compatriot Ederson spoke of a meeting on New Year’s Day called by the skipper after a below par training session.

“It was good for the group,” the goalkeeper said towards the end of the season with the title wrapped up.

“The team needed that chat. Everybody talked and Fernandinho, as captain, as leader of this team, was very important for that meeting and for the evolution of the team this season too.

“It was a good gesture on his behalf, and it helped us a lot to grow up as a team.”

Less than a week after lifting the Premier League trophy, he was a late substitute in a heart-breaking Champions League final defeat.

While the wait would go on, our place there was the encapsulation of our incredible journey since the Brazilian had arrived.

2021/22 saw Rodri settle as the first choice at the base of midfield for all of the biggest games.

While the Brazilian would clearly have preferred to have still been in the team week in week out, he didn’t let his affect his professionalism.

In fact, his manner throughout those months impressed Guardiola even more.

“He is an incredible captain that we have because he didn’t play much this season because Rodri has been exceptional,” said the City boss midway through the season.

“He always tries to help the team, the guys who don’t play, myself, the staff. He is so generous. He is just thinking about what the team need and what is best for the team.

“This is a real captain, when they always think about what is best for the team and the club. That is why he is so generous when he doesn’t play and when he plays, he always plays good.

“We will need him because we have many games and Rodri cannot play all season, it is impossible.”

He was needed, playing 33 times in the end.

However, it wasn’t enough and in April he confirmed in a press conference before a Champions League quarter-final that his ninth season at City would be his last.

"I will go back to Brazil. I decided with my family, which is the most important for me,” he said simply in the understated manner with which he had always conducted himself.

He didn’t leave before the perfect goodbye though, starting again at the heart of the defence in a dramatic final day comeback with Aston Villa to edge out Liverpool and win yet another title.

He’d said his piece before the game, stating: “I couldn’t imagine being here for such a long time.

“Since Pep came, the way City started to play under him was completely different.

“A different level. The first season we struggled a little bit, but the second season we were flying.

“New players came in and we changed everything. We discovered this hunger to win games and perform well to win trophies.

“How will I look back on my time here? I think one word can describe it: proud. Since the first day, the intention was to win trophies and then we did it.

“The whole group, the whole team and the whole staff were involved and when I look back, I feel really proud. Everything I planned, we did.

“The fans have been amazing since my first day here.

“Really respectful, polite, supportive. Every time I go into town or the park for a walk with my kids, they show their respect and their support.

“This is amazing and really nice. I am not sure if you can find fans like this in another place or other teams.

“My family and I, we were always treated really well here in Manchester.

“That is why I spent nine years here as the kids were settled in school with friends, my wife was settled as well.

“They are going to be City fans for sure. I could be Mancunian!

“You never know in the future. Maybe I could come back here to spend more time in Manchester. We will see.”

With another historic moment in the memory banks, his last act was to lift the famous trophy aloft again.

As the celebrations continued, he could clearly be seen taking in everything the moment had to offer, announcing that the stirring response when all seemed lost was simply the ‘City spirit’.

If any player could wholly embody that spirit, surely our half Mancunian, half Brazilian midfield battler has to be up there.

As many suspected, it wasn’t the last we saw of Fernandinho at the Etihad Stadium, with the Brazilian still a passionate supporter and welcome in the team’s dressing room whenever he likes.

As he comes to terms with the end of his playing career after a spell back at Athletico Paranaense to complete the circle, we can be certain that we haven’t seen the last of Fernandinho in Manchester.

Words: Jack Mumford

Design: Izzy Rendell

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