Gelson Fernandes

Gelson Fernandes' long and storied career has taken him on a veritable European tour: Sion, Manchester, Saint-Étienne, Verona, Leicester, Udine, Lisbon, Freiburg, Rennes and – since July 2017 – Frankfurt. It is a journey that also means the jocular former Switzerland international is fluent in seven languages and so the perfect character in any dressing room.

Born on 2 September 1986 in Praia, the capital of Cape Verde, Fernandes moved to Sion, Switzerland, with his mother at the age of five, joining his father who had found work there. The midfielder came through FC Sion's youth system before making his professional debut in the Swiss second tier in 2003; three years later – in July 2006 – Fernandes made his top-tier bow in a 0-0 draw against Grasshopper Club Zürich.

Touted as one of Switzerland's biggest talents, Fernandes joined Manchester City in summer 2007, becoming at the time the most expensive Swiss footballer (around nine million Swiss Francs). In Manchester, the Praia native lined up regularly in midfield alongside former Germany international Dietmar Hamann.

After progressing through the various age groups, Fernandes also captained the Switzerland U21 side, graduating to make his senior debut in a friendly against the Netherlands in August 2007. There followed a memorable international career: Fernandes was chosen in the squads for UEFA EURO 2008 and 2016 as well as the 2010, 2014 and 2018 FIFA World Cups, following the latter of which he announced his retirement.

During his first season at Eintracht, Fernandes made 19 Bundesliga outings and three DFB Cup appearances – he might not always have been in the starting line-up, but his team ethic played a major role in the DFB Cup triumph. With all that experience – not to mention his language skills – Fernandes will remain influential for the Eagles in the new campaign.