Fernandinho (footballer)

For other people named Fernandinho, see Fernandinho (disambiguation).

Fernandinho

Fernandinho playing for Brazil in 2014
Personal information
Full name	Fernando Luiz Roza
Date of birth	(1985-05-04) 4 May 1985
Place of birth	Londrina, Brazil
Height
Position(s)	Midfielder
Team information
Current team	Manchester City
Number	25
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2002–2005	Atlético Paranaense	72	(14)
2005–2013	Shakhtar Donetsk	184	(31)
2013–	Manchester City	96	(10)
International career‡
2011–	Brazil	27	(2)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 06:32, 20 April 2016 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 18 November 2015

Fernando Luiz Roza (born 4 May 1985), or simply Fernandinho (Brazilian Portuguese: [feʁnɐ̃ˈdʒĩj̃u]; meaning 'Little Fernando'), is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Premier League club Manchester City and the Brazil national team.

He 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 Ukraine 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 since 2011, he was part of their squad which came fourth at the 2014 FIFA World Cup and also competed at the 2015 Copa América.

He is well known for his blistering pace and ability to shoot from long distances. He is described 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."

Club career

Atlético Paranaense

Fernandinho playing for Atlético Paranaense.

Fernandinho began his career at Atlético Paranaense alongside his future Shakhtar teammate Jádson and close friend Carlos. In Atletico 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

2005–08

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.

2008–09

Fernandinho in 2009

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.

2009–10

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.

2010–11

In the following season Fernandinho played in the 7–1 Super Cup win over Tavriya 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 7 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 in 2011

2011–12

Fernandinho began the 2011–12 season with Shakhtar's only goal in a 3–1 Super Cup defeat to Dynamo. 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.

2012–13

He 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 fourth success in the Super Cup with Shakhtar. He assisted Yevhen Seleznyov's goal in the 3–1 victory over Hoverla. 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. 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

Fernandinho in September 2013.

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 Donetsk, the Brazilian wore the number 7 shirt, but due to Manchester City midfielder James Milner already occupying the number, 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

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. 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 Football 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.

2014–15 season

On 5 November 2014, in a Champions League group match against CSKA Moscow, Fernandinho replaced Jesús Navas at half time with City 1–2 down at home. He was 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.

2015–16 season

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 the second goal as City defeated Watford in the Premier League.

International career

Fernandinho in action for Brazil national team against Chile at the 2014 FIFA World Cup

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. Fernandinho 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.

Personal life

Fernandinho is married and has one son. Fernandinho speaks Portuguese, Russian, Italian and Spanish and is learning English. Fernandinho is a Christian and says that Jesus is his biggest inspiration.

Career statistics

As of 20 April 2016

Club	Season	League		Cup		Europe		Super Cup		Total
		Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Shakhtar	2005–06	23	1	2	1	9	1	-	-	34	3
	2006–07	25	1	3	0	11	3	1	0	40	4
	2007–08	29	11	3	1	8	0	1	0	41	12
	2008–09	21	5	3	0	17	6	1	0	42	11
	2009–10	24	4	2	2	13	2	-	-	39	8
	2010–11	15	3	2	0	2	0	1	0	20	3
	2011–12	24	4	3	1	4	0	1	1	32	6
	2012–13	23	2	4	3	8	1	1	0	36	6
Total		184	31	22	8	72	13	6	1	284	53
Manchester City	2013–14	33	5	5	0	8	0	-	-	46	5
	2014–15	33	3	3	0	7	0	-	-	43	3
	2015–16	30	2	6	2	10	1	-	-	46	5
Total		96	10	14	2	25	1	-	-	135	13
Career Total		280	41	36	10	97	14	6	1	419	66

International

As of 5 September 2015

Brazil national team
Year	Apps	Goals
2011	4	0
2012	1	0
2013	0	0
2014	9	2
2015	12	0
Total	26	2

International goals

Scores and results list Brazil's goal tally first.

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	5 March 2014	Soccer City, Johannesburg, South Africa	South Africa	4–0	5–0	Friendly
2.	23 June 2014	Estádio Nacional Mané Garrincha, Brasília, Brazil	Cameroon	4–1	4–1	2014 FIFA World Cup

Honours

Club

Atletico Paranaense

• Campeonato Paranaense: 2002, 2005
• Copa Paraná: 2003

Shakhtar Donetsk

• 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, 2010, 2012
• UEFA Cup: 2008–09

Manchester City

• Premier League: 2013–14
• Football League Cup: 2013–14, 2015–16

International

Brazil

• FIFA World Youth Championship: 2003

Individual

• Shakhtar Donetsk Player of the Season: 2007–08
• Top Player of the Ukrainian Premier League: 2007–08
• WhoScored.com Premier League Newcomers XI: 2013–14

External links

• Official website
• Fernandinho profile at FC Shakhtar Donetsk website.