With remarkable spells for the Brazilian national team and Manchester City, midfielder Fernandinho announced his retirement from football this Wednesday (19), at the age of 40.
“I’m already tired. I got tired today running 30 or so minutes. In football there’s nothing that motivates me more. I’ve already done well in football”, he said after participating in a charity game at Arena da Baixada, Athletico-PR’s stadium. The now former player also stated that he will now dedicate himself to “enjoying with his family”.
Born in Londrina, Paraná, Fernandinho was revealed by Athletico-PR, where he debuted as a professional in 2002.
In 2005, he transferred to Shaktar Donetsk, from Ukraine. He won six national championship titles and the UEFA Cup, renamed the Europa League in 2009.
In 2013, he was traded to Manchester City. He spent almost a decade at the English club and was a very important player for Pep Guardiola, having won five Premier League titles.
He returned to Athletico in 2022, and stayed at the club until the end of last year. His last match was against Atlético Mineiro, on December 8th. The team from Paraná lost 1-0 and ended up relegated to Series B.
For the Brazilian team, Fernandinho played in the 2014 World Cup — he was one of the starters in the 7-1 defeat of Germany — and 2018, and was champion of the Copa América in 2019.
In total, there were 918 games as a professional, with 110 goals.
