Fernandinho, emblematic former captain of Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, will wear the Athletico Paranaense shirt again, twenty years after his debut, the Brazilian club announced on Monday.
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“I come home with enormous satisfaction and knowing that I am going to be able to apply a little of everything I have learned during all these years that I have played in Europe”, explained the Brazilian midfielder at a press conference, who at 37 has signed up to December 2024.
Feernandinho ended nine seasons at City by winning his fifth Premier League in May and, after expiring his contract, his dream has come true: he really wanted, and had said so several times, for his children to see him play in the shirt of his favorite club, one of the three he has defended throughout his career.
An Athletico Paranaense in which he debuted in 2002 at the age of 17 and with whom he won the Paraná state championship in 2005. That same year he signed for Shakhtar Donetsk, in whose ranks he won 12 titles, including the Europa League in 2009, six leagues Ukrainian and four Cups.
In 2013 he arrived at City, where he won five Premier Leagues, one FA Cup, six League Cups and one Community Shield, but no Champions League.
Praise for Guardiola
Fernandinho today had words of thanks for the three coaches he had in Europe: Pep Guardiola and Manuel Pellegrini at City and the Romanian Mircea Lucescu at Shakhtar.
“All of them taught me many valuable things, from behavior, to having a winning mentality, to being disciplined and believing in the process,” he said.
Fernandinho will meet again at Paranaense with Luiz Felipe Scolari, who was the Brazil coach during the 2014 World Cup, the same one in which the ‘canrinha’ was humiliated as host by Germany in the semifinals with that historic 1-7.
Fernandinho could resume the course of his history with his favorite club on July 18. Paranaense occupies third place in the Brazilian Championship, five points behind the leader Palmeiras, and this Tuesday they play the first leg of the Copa Libertadores round of 16 against Paraguayan Libertad.
Jordi Arches
