MOSCOW, May 18. CSKA Moscow footballer Mario Fernandez announced that he would suspend playing career at the end of the 2021/22 season.
"After the match with "Rostov" I'm flying to Brazil. My contract will be suspended. Moreover, if after a certain time I realize that I still feel the strength to help PFC CSKA, I will return and continue to play for my native club. I would especially like to draw everyone's attention to the fact that I am leaving Russia not because of recent events in the world and not because of a difficult period in the life of the team. I have always helped and will help our club in every way I can. I thank the Lord for everything he has done for me by bringing me to Russia, to PFC CSKA. Our club will always be in my heart! CSKA will always be the first!" — quotes the defender's words on the club's website.
The football player thanked the fans of the team and noted that they gave him additional incentives and motivation to work. «But lately I have been feeling tremendous accumulated fatigue and great exhaustion and can no longer give everything that I have always given for the benefit of PFC CSKA in past years «I've been playing football professionally for 13 years now, of which I spent ten years at PFC CSKA. It's time to be with my family. Besides, as you probably already know, our son will be born this year. But I want to be close to PFC CSKA and I will follow his progress.I met with the president of the club Evgeny Lennorovich Giner and the general director Roman Yuryevich Babaev, explained to them everything that was on my mind and asked them to allow me to spend some time with my family in Brazil.I am very I am grateful to them for the fact that they treated my request with understanding and agreed to let me go, talking to me like a son, «the athlete added. Fernandez moved to CSKA from the Brazilian Grammy o» in 2012. In total, the footballer played 328 matches for the Red-Blues, scoring ten goals and giving 46 assists. The defender became a three-time champion of Russia with the army team, and also won the Russian Cup and twice the country's super cup. Before the European Championship — 2016, the Brazilian became a citizen of Russia and began to play for the Russian team. He has 33 matches and five goals for the national team.