Fernando Francisco Reges Mouta, known simply as Fernando, is a Brazilian footballer who plays for Spanish club Sevilla as a defensive midfielder. He spent most of his career with Porto with whom he signed in 2007, going on to appear in 236 competitive matches and win 12 major titles, including four Primeira Liga championships and the 2011 Europa League. He also played professionally in England, Turkey and Spain, winning the domestic league twice with Galatasaray and the 2016 League Cup with Manchester City.
Club career
Porto
Fernando was born in Alto Paraíso de Goiás. In June 2007 he signed a five-year contract with FC Porto directly from the Série C, having started his career at Vila Nova Futebol Clube. However, he spent his first year in Portugal loaned to C.F. Estrela da Amadora, where he was first-choice. In the 2008–09 season, having returned to Porto, Fernando was an ever-present midfield fixture alongside established Lucho González and Raul Meireles, as the northerners achieved a fourth consecutive Primeira Liga title. He continued to be a starter when healthy, appearing in 41 competitive games during the 2010–11 campaign as his team won the treble. On 9 February 2014, following an extensive negotiation that inclusively saw the player being suspended, Fernando renewed his contract with Porto until 2017.
On 4 August 2017, Fernando signed with Galatasaray SK on a three-year contract for an initial fee of €5.25 million. In a note published on the Turkish club's official website, it was confirmed that the payment would ascend based on the accomplishment of certain performance variables during his spell. He made his Süper Lig debut in the first fixture, playing 82 minutes in a 4–1 home win against Kayserispor; he made 26 official appearances during the season, scoring on 9 December in a 4–2 home victory over against Akhisar Belediyespor and repeating the feat the following 29 April to help defeat reigning champions Beşiktaş J.K. 2–0 at home, a result which proved decisive for achieving the league title.
Sevilla
On 12 July 2019, aged 32, Fernando joined Sevilla FC of the Spanish La Liga for a fee of €4.5 million, agreeing to a deal until 30 June 2022.
International career
Fernando was in the Brazil under-20 squad at the 2007 South American Youth Championship, where he was sent off in the second round against Chile for assaulting referee Albert Duarte, as the nation went on to win the tournament in Paraguay. Subsequently, he received a one-year ban from CONMEBOL competitions for his actions and was not included for the following tournament in the category, the 2007 FIFA World Cup. In January 2013, Fernando declared: "Even if someone asked me to naturalize, I would refuse. My dream is to play for Brazil. I'm sure one day I will wear the amarelinha". In December, however, he became a Portuguese citizen, applying to FIFA in March 2014 to change his international allegiance to Portugal; under article 8.1 of the governing body's statutes, however, he was only eligible to represent Brazil internationally as he previously played for that country at under-20 level and at that time he did not hold Portuguese nationality.
