Gelson Fernandes, a Swiss football player, was born on September 2, 1986 in Praia, Cape Verde Islands. Micah Richards, his Manchester City teammate, credits Gelson Fernandes for his fluency in five languages.
Gelson Fernandes played 4 matches for the Switzerland national under-21 football team before receiving a call-up from the Switzerland national football team in 2007. His first match as a senior Switzerland footballer came on August 22, 2007 in a game against Netherlands. Following which he played another friendly match competing England national football team. As of 2008, Gelson Fernandes has made 12 appearances for the Switzerland national football team.
Gelson Fernandes started his football career with the Football Club (FC) Sion as a youth member in 1995. He became a part of the senior FC Sion club in 2004 and remained with the club till 2007. In his stint with FC Sion football club, he has played 99 matches and scored a goal.
On July 14, 2007 Gelson Fernandes moved to Manchester city for an undisclosed amount, making his sale the second highest transfer in the history of Swiss league. Subsequent to his transfer, when Gelson Fernandes was 20, he was credited by Sven-Göran Eriksson, Manchester City manager, as the ‘best, young player in Switzerland’. His debut for Manchester City was in a 0-0 draw match against Portsmouth.
Gelson Fernandes netted his first goal for Manchester City along with Kelvin Etuhu, fellow player, in a match against Newcastle that resulted in a 2-0 win. Their combined effort took only 40 seconds to score the goal, by finishing from the edge of the box. His second goal came in a match against Arsenal, at the City of Manchester Stadium, and became the fans favorite.
Gelson Fernandes aspires to fulfill the expectations of his fans in the forthcoming matches. As of 2008, he has played 26 matches and scored 2 goals for Manchester City.
