He was the last player to leave the field. Had it been a more sentimental character, that would be unsurprising, but Fernandinho has forged his reputation as Manchester City’s arch-pragmatist. He announced his own departure, catching Pep Guardiola by surprise by simply stating a fact, shorn of emotion or hyperbole.
But after his final Champions League game at the Etihad Stadium concluded, Fernandinho had lingered longer on the pitch than anyone else. He will be on its turf again, but not in this competition. His City career could finish with the Brazilian lifting the trophy they want most in Paris, or with Fernandinho, like Yaya Toure and Vincent Kompany, David Silva and Sergio Aguero before him, exiting a Premier League great who lacked the ultimate validation on the European stage. They may all end up unfulfilled in the Champions League: perhaps Fernandinho more than most, given that he probably ought to have started last season’s final after an outstanding display in the semi-finals and as Guardiola erred by dispensing a defensive midfielder against Chelsea.
