Fernandinho was never a bad player for Manchester City, but the new status Pep Guardiola has given to him is helping him develop a new image around his career, especially with relation to Brazil’s national team.
The midfielder left Brazil early, and was only 20 when moved from Atlético Paranaense to Shakhtar Donetsk. He spent eight years in the Ukraine before signing for a Premier League club, which means Brazilians never followed his career closely.
And as his first official tournament with the yellow shirt was the 2014 World Cup, we all know what people think when they see him on the pitch. He couldn’t make it any better during the Copa America 2015, so it seemed his international career was damaged for good.
The player’s return to the national team for the World Cup Qualifiers is a subject of many articles in the Brazilian media on Monday, but ESPN Brasil columnist Maurício Barros has caught our attention.
He has a story today with a title saying ‘Fernandinho can give you chills, but Guardiola can’t live without him’, where he explains how important the player has been to the Catalan manager.
Barros describes the changes in Fernandinho’s body which are making him quicker and stronger, and he takes quotes from Guardiola which say he can play in any position.
The journalist finishes his text saying: “He may not be recognised on the plane or when gets off at the airport. At 31, he’s not big in the media, he’s not called for commercials of razor blades or soft drinks. If I take him to a conversation on a bench at the Largo da Batata, here in São Paulo, it’s likely that we stay talking for a long time without anyone realising that there is one of those who are currently highlighted by the world media. When he enters the pitch against Bolivia or Venezuela, you will root for him?”
It will probably take time, but Fernandinho can get the fans’ trust back. He deserved another chance, now he needs a couple of good games so he can keep up his progress. With his recent form, he can even dream of winning something at international level someday. It’s up to him.
