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Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville has lauded Manchester City midfielder Fernandinho following the Cityzens' 2021-22 Premier League triumph. After the Brazilian lifted the trophy on Sunday, Neville praised the midfielder for his consistency and said he fully deserves the league title.
City made an incredible comeback on the final day of the Premier League season while facing Aston Villa at the Etihad. They came back from 2-0 down in the 75th minute to win the match 3-2 and retained the league title.
After Fernandinho lifted the trophy, Neville said on Sky Sports (via Daily Mail):
"What a performer. He has consistency. He has that trophy in his hands and he deserves to have it in his hands."
The Brazilian will leave Manchester City after nine years at the club, where he won 12 major trophies. He joined the club in 2013 from Shaktar Donetsk and made 383 appearances across competitions.
Fernandinho has also led his side brilliantly in recent weeks with injuries to the likes of Ruben Dias and Kyle Walker forcing him to play at centre-back.
The defensive midfielder has stated that he will return to Brazil with Pep Guardiola hinting that Fernandinho could become a manager in the future.
Ahead of the Villa game, a large mosaic of Fernandinho was revealed by Manchester City at their football academy, next to a pitch named after him.
"This is the Man City spirit" - Manchester City midfielder Fernandinho after Premier League triumph
Trailing 2-0 until the 75th minute, it looked as if the title was slipping out of City's hands and heading to Liverpool. However, they scored three goals in six minutes to claim the title.
It was quite similar to their comeback on the final day of the 2011-12 Premier League campaign. They trailed 2-1 against Queens Park Rangers before scoring twice in stoppage time to lift the title.
Referring to that victory, Fernandinho said after winning the 2021-22 title on Sky Sports (via Daily Mail):
"This is the Man City spirit. You never give up. You always go to the end. It happened ten years ago and it's happened again. We have the same traits. We're fighters, we never give up."
He added:
"I want to thank everyone here. In the last two years when they chose me to be captain I always tried to be in a position to help them. Of course, these people deserve by far to be in the position they are in. I am really proud. When I came over I dreamed to be in the Champions League."
Manchester City have now won four Premier League titles in five years. Only Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United have achieved this feat before.
