Sport

Fernandinho has reportedly been offered a coaching role at Manchester City

Blues will no doubt be buzzing with this one.

Danny Jones Danny Jones - 7th March 2025

According to reports, Ex-Manchester City star Fernandinho is said to have been offered a new coaching role back at the club.

The former captain and club legend is said to have been contacted directly by both Pep Guardiola and Txiki Begiristain regarding the job.

As per independent outlet and dedicated fan site CityXtra, Guardiola has invited Fernandinho to join his senior coaching staff, with the club’s outgoing football director formalising the offer.

It is yet unclear as to whether the Brazilian box-to-box midfielder turned deep-lying playmaker has accepted the proposal at this time, but it is believed he would become “an assistant coach in the Catalan’s first-team staffing structure.”

Having recently graduated from a club management course at FIFA back in January 2025 – earning him the qualification to work with teams in a professional backroom capacity – he is one of several recently retired City players who have pursued coaching badges, including Vincent Kompany and Pablo Zabaleta.

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As a key cog in the middle of the park at the Etihad for many years, playing an integral part in what made those early Pep teams tick as they do with Rodri now the linchpin in the squad, you would assume the 39-year-old’s football intelligence would be an excellent addition to the first-team set-up.

To reinforce the veracity of these reports, speaking in a recent clip from the City Studios exclusive documentary, Life After Football, Fernandinho said: “I miss them, they miss me and, sometime soon, we’re going to be together.”

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Whether or not he was referring to this role in particular, only time will tell, but logic would dictate he’s looking to get first-team coaching experience rather than simply returning as an ambassador for instance.

Although exact details are still scarce and we have no indication of what stage discussions are currently at, the consensus from the supporters seems to be that it’s pretty much a no-brainer.

Fernandinho only just retired at the end of 2024 after his time at Athletico Paranaense back in his home country came to an end.

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While he may have been forced to change his playing style as he got older, in his prime he was still one of Man City’s best and most important players for a very long time, not to mention a standout in the Premier League full stop.

Making 383 appearances for the Blues, registering 26 goals and 29 assists from defensive midfield as he went on to win 14 trophies during his time in Manchester, Fernandinho is a City legend without question and we’d be surprised if anyone around the club wouldn’t like to seem his return in a coaching capacity.

Put it this way, if he does accept the opportunity, his knowledge and experience could prove crucial ahead of a tournament that is now bigger than ever this summer…

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Featured Images — soccer.ru/Steffen Prößdorf (via Wikimedia Commons)