Fernando Luiz Roza (born 4 May 1985), known as Fernandinho, is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder. He is regarded as one of the best defensive midfielders of his generation and one of the best Brazilians to play in the Premier League.
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 2008âÂÂ09 UEFA Cup. He was voted by the Shakhtar Donetsk fans as the best Brazilian player to ever play for the team. Fernandinho is well known for his nine-year spell with Premier League club Manchester City, with which he won five Premier League titles, six EFL Cups, and the FA Community Shield. He assumed the captaincy in the 2020âÂÂ21 season and was instrumental in leading City to the 2021 Champions League final, where he earned a runners-up medal.
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, Fernandinho 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.
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 ã7 million.
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 2âÂÂ1 to take the title. This marked Fernandinho's first league title with Shakhtar. He made 25 league appearances in the 2006âÂÂ07 season as Shakhtar finished 2nd to Dynamo Kyiv. They also finished as runners-up in the Ukrainian Cup and Ukrainian Super Cup.
In the 2007âÂÂ08 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 2âÂÂ2, it went to penalties and, although Fernandinho converted a penalty, Shakhtar lost 4âÂÂ2.
On 15 July 2008, Fernandinho played in the Super Cup victory against Dynamo Kyiv. The match went to penalties after the two teams drew 1âÂÂ1 at the end of extra time. Fernandinho scored one of the penalties to help Shakhtar to a 5âÂÂ3 win in the shoot-out. He scored the equalising goal in a 1âÂÂ1 draw with Karpaty Lviv on 27 July. On 3 August he picked up a 63rd minute red card in a 3âÂÂ0 victory over Illichivets Mariupol. On 31 August he scored a penalty in a 2âÂÂ2 draw against Metalurh Zaporizhya. On 16 September he scored the opening goal in a 2âÂÂ1 Champions League victory against Swiss club Basel. On 8 November, he scored the opening goal in a 2âÂÂ0 victory against Tavriya Simferopol. On 9 December he scored a goal in Shakhtar's 3âÂÂ2 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 1âÂÂ1 away leg draw against English team Tottenham Hotspur in the UEFA Cup. Shakhtar won the tie 3âÂÂ1 on aggregate. On 7 March, he scored the only goal, a penalty, in a 1âÂÂ0 victory against Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk. On 15 March, he opened the scoring from the penalty spot in a 3âÂÂ0 victory against Metalist Kharkiv. On 19 March he scored a penalty in Shakhtar's 2âÂÂ0 victory over Russian team CSKA Moscow in the UEFA Cup. Shakhtar won the tie 2âÂÂ1 on aggregate. On 16 April he netted a goal in a 2âÂÂ1 UEFA Cup win against Marseille. Shakhtar emerged victorious from the tie with a 4âÂÂ1 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 1âÂÂ1. Shakhtar advanced to the final by virtue of a 3âÂÂ2 aggregate victory after securing a 2âÂÂ1 win at the Donbas Arena in the second leg.
Shakhtar won the UEFA Cup with a 2âÂÂ1 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 2008âÂÂ09 season.
The 2009âÂÂ10 season saw Shakhtar lift the Premier League trophy. Fernandinho's first goal came on 29 July, in a 2âÂÂ2 Champions League draw against Politehnica TimiÃÂoara in the third qualifying round, however Shakhtar were knocked out of the competition, losing on away goals after a 0âÂÂ0 draw at home. On 20 September, he scored a penalty in a 4âÂÂ2 victory over Arsenal Kyiv. He scored two goals in a 5âÂÂ1 victory over Karpaty Lviv on 18 October, including one from the penalty spot. On 22 October the first goal, a penalty, in a 4âÂÂ0 victory against French side Toulouse in the Europa League. He scored a 93rd-minute goal in a 2âÂÂ0 Ukrainian Cup victory against Dynamo Kyiv on 28 October. On 6 December he scored a penalty to open the scoring in a 2âÂÂ0 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 2âÂÂ1. 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 7âÂÂ1 Super Cup win over Tavriya Simferopol on 4 July. On 18 July, he netted an equalising goal in a 1âÂÂ1 draw with Metalurh Zaporizhya. On 7 August he scored the opening goal in a 5âÂÂ0 win over Sevastopol. He also played a part in the 1âÂÂ0 UEFA Super Cup defeat to Barcelona on 28 August. He suffered a broken leg in a 1âÂÂ0 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 3âÂÂ1 victory over Illichivets Mariupol. He scored a late 94th-minute match-winning goal in a 2âÂÂ1 victory over Tavriya, his first goal since returning from injury. On 25 May, he played the full 90 minutes in Shakhtar's 2âÂÂ0 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 2011âÂÂ12 season with Shakhtar's only goal in a 3âÂÂ1 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 3âÂÂ1 victory against Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk on 13 August. On 27 November he scored the second goal, from a penalty, in a 5âÂÂ0 victory over Karpaty Lviv. On 27 April, he scored a penalty in a 4âÂÂ3 Ukrainian Cup match against Volyn Lutsk. He netted the winning goal in a 2âÂÂ1 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 2012âÂÂ13 season by assisting Douglas Costa for the second goal in a 2âÂÂ0 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 3âÂÂ1 victory over Hoverla Uzhhorod. He netted a late goal to earn Shakhtar three points in a 1âÂÂ0 win over Kryvbas. He assisted Henrikh Mkhitaryan for the first goal in a 4âÂÂ1 victory over Vorskla Poltava. On 23 September, he scored a goal in a 4âÂÂ1 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 2âÂÂ0 victory against Metalist Kharkiv on 7 October. Fernandinho scored the second goal in a 2âÂÂ1 victory against English side Chelsea in the Champions League group stage on 23 October, shooting low with his right foot into the bottom corner.
On 6 June 2013, Fernandinho became Manchester City's first signing of the summer, for a fee of ã34 million. He signed a four-year deal and is understood to have waived around ã4 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.
Fernandinho made his Premier League debut on 19 August 2013 against Newcastle United in a 4âÂÂ0 home win. He scored his first two goals for Manchester City on 14 December 2013 against Arsenal in a 6âÂÂ3 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 2âÂÂ3 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 3âÂÂ1 win. On 11 May, Fernandinho was part of the squad who secured the Premier League title in a 2âÂÂ0 win against West Ham United. He did not start the game, but appeared as a substitute for striker Edin Dà ¾eko in the 69th minute.
On 5 November 2014, in a 2014âÂÂ15 Champions League group match against CSKA Moscow, Fernandinho replaced Jesús Navas at half-time with Manchester City 1âÂÂ2 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 3âÂÂ0 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 1âÂÂ0 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: âÂÂIf 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.âÂÂ
Fernandinho continued to play a vital role for Manchester City in the 2017âÂÂ18 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 3âÂÂ0, 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 2âÂÂ1. 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. ðlkay GündoÃÂan 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 1âÂÂ0 against Tottenham Hotspur to win the competition for the fourth year in a row. It was the 6th of FernandinhoâÂÂs career, making him the competitionâÂÂs most decorated player. On 11 May 2021, local rivals Manchester United were defeated 2âÂÂ1 by Leicester City, securing CityâÂÂs fifth Premier league title and seventh First Division title overall. This was FernandinhoâÂÂs 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 âÂÂnumber 1 defensive midfielder the Premier League has ever seenâ 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 0âÂÂ0 draw against Sporting CP.
On 12 April, Fernandinho announced that he would be leaving Manchester City at the end of the season. Later that month, on 30 April, his stoppage-time goal in the 4âÂÂ0 away victory over Leeds United earned him the inaugural Premier League Most Powerful Goal award, with Opta calculating the shot's average speed at .
On 28 June 2022, Fernardinho returned to Campeonato Brasileiro Série A club Athletico Paranaense. He started in the 2022 Copa Libertadores final, his second continental final with the team, losing 1âÂÂ0 to Flamengo. He also won his second and third Paraná state championship titles with Athletico in 2023 and 2024.
Fernandinho left Athletico at the expiry of his contract in December 2024. On 20 November 2025, he announced his retirement as a professional player.
On 11 August 2011, Fernandinho made his first appearance for the Brazil national team in a 3âÂÂ2 friendly defeat against Germany. He won four further caps during the 2011âÂÂ12 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 5âÂÂ0 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 4âÂÂ1 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 1âÂÂ7 loss to Germany in the semi-finals: Brazil's biggest ever defeat at the World Cup.
In May 2018, Fernandinho 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 2âÂÂ1, 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, held on home soil. He featured in the side's opening two group matches as they went on to win the tournament.
Fernandinho was well known for his pace and ability to shoot from long distances, as well as his energy, technique, movement, and work-rate. He was 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 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 was 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, [...] 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 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 2019âÂÂ20 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 became 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.
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."
Athletico Paranaense
Shakhtar Donetsk
Manchester City
Brazil U20
Brazil
Individual