Exclusive: Pep Guardiola hands personal invitation to Manchester City legend to join first-team coaching staff | OneFootball

Manchester City legend and former club captain Fernandinho has been offered a position within the club’s first-team coaching set-up, City Xtra can reveal.

The iconic Brazilian midfielder is widely regarded as being one of the finest operators to star in the heart of Manchester City’s operation since his arrival from Shakhtar Donetsk in 2013, particularly during the club’s recent history.

Having brought an end to his illustrious time at the Etihad, which featured a multitude of silverware successes and the honour of adopting the club’s captaincy, Fernandinho returned to Brazil to close out his professional playing career with Athletico Paranaense in 2022.

But almost three years on from an emotional exit away from Manchester City, it is now understood that an opportunity has arisen that could see Fernandinho return to his forever home in a working role.

City Xtra understand that the now-39 year-old has received a formal proposal to join the club’s first-team coaching staff, having graduated from a Club Management course at FIFA in January 2025, allowing him to work with clubs throughout the game in a coaching capacity.

The invitation, made by head coach Pep Guardiola and formalised by the club’s director of football Txiki Begiristain, would make Fernandinho an assistant coach in the Catalan’s first-team staffing structure, City Xtra understand.

However, a decision from the Brazilian ultimately relies on various factors, with the most significant being his family and whether they would be willing to make the return from South America to the south of Manchester.

Speaking on the subject of Manchester City fans, Fernandinho showed the mutual love shared and opened the door to a potential reunion during a recent interview with the club’s official website.

“I miss them, they miss me and, sometime soon, we’re going to be together,” said the former number 25 as part of a wider feature film produced by the Premier League champions’ in-house media team in recent weeks.

In an illustrious spell in English football, the defensive midfielder played a total of 383 matches for Manchester City, scoring 26 goals, providing 29 assists, and winning 14 trophies – three of which he lifted as captain.

It goes without saying that Fernandinho, as a direct result of his achievements and remarkable passion for the football club, is much-loved by the Sky Blue faithful and is considered by many as the best Brazilian to ever feature in the Premier League.

Additional credit: City Xtra Português