June 29, (THEWILL) – English Premier League champions, Manchester City, have confirmed that team captain Fernandinho has signed a new one-year contract until the summer of 2022, effectively extending his stay at the Etihad Stadium into a ninth season overall.
The Brazilian midfielder turned 36 last month and had a previous contract due to run out at the end of this month before agreeing with the club on the fine print of a contract extension that will keep him at the club through a new campaign.
Fernandinho moved to the Manchester club from Shakhtar Donetsk in 2013 and has contributed to clinching four Premier League titles, the FA Cup, and six EFL Cups in his time with the Cityzens. His most recent club game was the unfortunate defeat to EPL side Chelsea in the final of the 2021 Champions League.
The desire to win in that competition, to claim a still elusive European glory after that close call, has remained a major driving force for the midfielder and he made no attempts to be coy about it. Speaking about the new contract with the club’s website, Fernandinho said:
“In my head and my mind, the job is not done yet and so that’s why I decided to stay here another year and try to help the team and the club to achieve the goals that they’re looking for.
“In my point of view, we can do that, there’s still places to improve and to get those targets. And obviously, for me and for my family it’s a pleasure to stay in Manchester for one more year.
“If I can keep doing the same way, leading them inside the pitch, off the pitch, to help them to improve and get better and to perform better during the games, I would be the happiest person there,” he added.
On the part of the club, Txiki Begiristain, City’s Director of Football, said: “He is our captain, our leader and it is a position he has excelled in. There are a number of talented young players in our squad and, therefore, it is vital we have somebody with Fernandinho’s knowledge and experience.
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Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
