Fernandinho: Half Brazilian, Half Mancunian

Born in Londrina, a city to the south of the giant South American country, his early life could hardly have been much further away from Manchester. That’s what makes it all the more remarkable that he now regards himself as mostly Mancunian! City now have a proud association with the country that has lifted the World Cup more than any other.

Fernandinho was joined at the Etihad by Ederson, now firmly established as one of the greatest goalkeepers in our history, and Gabriel Jesus while Savinho and Vitor Reis have followed his footsteps since he left in 2022. But Brazil, a nation that celebrates flair and individuality on the football pitch above all else, has perhaps most left its mark on our top-flight through a tough, no-nonsense midfielder that could more than hold his own in any one-v-one battle. Fernandinho’s mark on the Club is seen every day and in every match Pep Guardiola’s side play.

It was his energy that gave Pep’s early sides the foundation to play progressive, expansive football and it was his leadership that carried the team through some tough moments. Now, he can look back at the Club we have become and the domestic domination we’ve enjoyed since his arrival in 2013 safe in the knowledge that he will never be forgotten amongst City fans or his many, many team-mates. 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.