RIO DE JANEIRO: Fernandinho, a defensive midfielder who won five league titles with Manchester City and six with Shakhtar Donetsk, said he was retiring aged 40.
“There’s nothing left to motivate me in football, I’ve already achieved everything I wanted to,” he told reporters on Wednesday evening after playing in a charity match in Curitiba.
“Now it’s time to enjoy my family,” he added.
Fernandinho started and ended his 23-year playing career with Athletico Paranaense in Curitiba. In between, he spent eight seasons with Shakhtar in Ukraine before moving to Manchester in 2013 and playing nine seasons for City.
He returned to Curitiba in 2022 but was released on New Year’s Day 2025.
Fernandinho was part of the Brazil team that won the 2003 under-20 World Cup. He collected 53 senior caps, winning the Copa America in 2019.