Gelson Fernandes facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Gelson Fernandes

Fernandes with Rennes in 2016
Personal information
Full name	Gelson da Conceição Tavares Fernandes
Date of birth	(1986-09-02) 2 September 1986 (age 38)
Place of birth	Praia, Cape Verde
Height	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position(s)	Defensive midfielder
Youth career
1995–2004	Sion
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2004–2007	Sion	56	(1)
2007–2009	Manchester City	43	(3)
2009–2012	Saint-Étienne	33	(0)
2010–2011	→ Chievo (loan)	29	(2)
2011–2012	→ Leicester City (loan)	15	(1)
2012	→ Udinese (loan)	16	(1)
2012–2013	Sporting CP	6	(0)
2013	→ Sion (loan)	14	(0)
2013–2014	SC Freiburg	30	(1)
2014–2017	Rennes	93	(1)
2017–2020	Eintracht Frankfurt	58	(1)
Total		393	(11)
International career
2005–2007	Switzerland U21	9	(0)
2007–2018	Switzerland	67	(2)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Gelson da Conceição Tavares Fernandes (born 2 September 1986) is a former professional footballer. He played as a defensive midfielder, which is a player who helps protect the defense. Gelson was born in Cape Verde but played for the Switzerland national team. He is famous for scoring the winning goal for Switzerland against Spain at the 2010 World Cup. Spain later went on to win that World Cup!

Gelson Fernandes played football for 16 years. He played for many clubs in different countries like Switzerland, England, France, Italy, Portugal, and Germany.

Gelson Fernandes' Club Journey

Starting at FC Sion

Gelson Fernandes began his football journey at FC Sion in Switzerland when he was just seven years old. He joined the main team in 2004. In the 2005–06 season, he started playing more often as a central midfielder. During this time, he helped Sion win the Swiss Cup in a penalty shootout against Young Boys.

In the 2006–07 season, Gelson continued to be a key player. He scored his first goals of the season in a Swiss Cup match. He also played in his first European game for Sion against Bayer Leverkusen in the UEFA Cup. He even scored a goal in the return game, though Sion lost overall. He scored his first league goal for Sion in October 2006. By the end of that season, he had played 41 games and scored four goals.

Playing for Manchester City

On 14 July 2007, Gelson Fernandes moved to Manchester City in England. The transfer fee was about €6 million. The manager, Sven-Göran Eriksson, thought Gelson was the "best young player in Switzerland." He was given the number 28 shirt.

Gelson played his first game for Manchester City in a League Cup match in August 2007. He made his league debut in October. By November, he was a regular player in the midfield. He scored his first goal for the club on 2 January 2008, just 40 seconds after coming on as a substitute! He scored another goal in February against Arsenal. In his first season, he played 32 games and scored two goals.

For the 2008–09 season, Gelson changed his shirt number to 19. He scored his first goal of that season against Portsmouth in a big 6–0 win. He also scored in a League Cup match against Brighton & Hove Albion. However, he started playing less often after a new manager took over. He also had some injuries. By the end of the season, he had played 27 games and scored two goals. Many people thought he would leave Manchester City after this.

Moving to Saint-Étienne

On 9 July 2009, Gelson Fernandes joined Ligue 1 team Saint-Étienne in France. He signed a two-year contract.

He played his first league game for Saint-Étienne in the opening match of the season. Gelson quickly became an important defensive midfielder for the team. Sometimes, he even played as a right-back. His first season was a bit tough, but he helped the club avoid being moved down to a lower league. He played 38 games for Saint-Étienne in his first season.

Loan Adventures

Fernandes playing for Leicester City in 2011

Gelson was not playing as much at Saint-Étienne, so he went on loan to other clubs.

• Chievo (Italy): In August 2010, he joined Chievo in Italy. He made his debut in September and quickly became a regular player. He scored his first goal for Chievo in a 3–1 win against Napoli. He scored another goal in February 2011. He played 30 games and scored two goals for Chievo.

• Leicester City (England): In August 2011, Gelson moved to Leicester City in England on a season-long loan. His former manager, Sven-Göran Eriksson, was also at Leicester. Gelson played his first game for Leicester in August and scored his first goal later that month. He was a regular player until the manager was replaced. He left Leicester in January 2012 after playing 18 games and scoring once.

Fernandes with Leicester City in 2011

• Udinese (Italy): After leaving Leicester, Gelson went on another loan to Udinese in Italy in January 2012. He made his debut in a cup game. He became a regular player for Udinese for a while. He scored his first goal for them in April 2012. He played 17 games and scored once for Udinese before returning to Saint-Étienne.

Sporting Clube de Portugal

In July 2012, Gelson Fernandes signed a four-year contract with Sporting Clube de Portugal in Portugal. He played his first game for them in the opening match of the season. He also helped Sporting Lisbon win a UEFA Europa League match. However, he did not play very often for the club, making only 12 appearances.

Returning to FC Sion (loan)

In December 2012, Gelson returned to his first club, FC Sion, on loan until the end of the 2012–13 season. He quickly became a regular player again. He played 16 games for Sion during this loan spell.

Joining SC Freiburg

Fernandes playing for SC Freiburg in 2013

On 27 June 2013, Gelson Fernandes signed a long-term contract with Bundesliga team SC Freiburg in Germany.

He played his first league game for Freiburg in the opening match of the season. Gelson became a regular defensive midfielder for the team. He scored his first goal for Freiburg on 23 November 2013, helping them win 1–0. He played 38 games and scored once in his season with Freiburg. He left the club in 2014.

Playing for Stade Rennais

On 4 August 2014, Gelson Fernandes signed a four-year contract with French club Stade Rennais. He was given the number six shirt.

He made his debut for Rennes in the opening game of the season. Gelson quickly became a key player in midfield. He had a hamstring injury that kept him out for a month but returned in January 2015. In his first season, he played 36 games.

In the 2015–16 season, Gelson started the first four league matches. He was suspended for picking up too many yellow cards. After returning, he suffered another muscle injury. He later became captain for the first time in a match against FC Lorient. In November 2015, he scored his first goal for Rennes. He also played his 50th game for the club in December. He played 37 games and scored once that season.

In the 2016–17 season, Gelson played in the first eight league matches and captained two games. He had some injuries and suspensions but continued to be involved with the team. In May 2017, he played his 100th game for Stade Rennais. He made 28 appearances that season.

Time at Eintracht Frankfurt

On 2 June 2017, Gelson Fernandes joined Bundesliga team Eintracht Frankfurt in Germany on a two-year deal.

He played his first game for Frankfurt in a German Cup match. He played regularly for the first two months. However, he tore his hamstring in September 2017 and was out for two months. After returning, he was in and out of the starting team. In the semi-finals of the German Cup against Schalke 04, he was sent off with a red card, but his team still won. Frankfurt went on to win the German Cup final against Bayern Munich. Gelson played 22 games that season.

In the 2018–19 season, Gelson was made captain for the first time at Eintracht Frankfurt in the opening game. He scored his first goal for the club in September 2018. He continued to be a regular player and signed a contract extension until 2020. He often captained the team when the main captain was injured. He played 37 games and scored once that season.

In the 2019–20 season, Gelson helped Eintracht Frankfurt reach the group stage of the UEFA Europa League. However, he played less often due to more midfielders joining the team and injuries. He announced on 14 May 2020 that he would retire at the end of the season. He played his last game for Eintracht Frankfurt in May 2020, captaining the team. He finished his career with 22 appearances that season.

Gelson Fernandes' International Career

Fernandes with Switzerland in 2015

Gelson Fernandes could play for either Switzerland or Cape Verde. He played for Switzerland's youth teams from U16 to U21. He even captained the Switzerland U21 team, being the first player with African roots to do so. He played nine games for the U21 team.

He made his first game for the senior Switzerland team on 22 August 2007. He was part of the Swiss team for UEFA Euro 2008, where he played in all three group games.

Gelson continued to play for Switzerland in friendly matches and World Cup qualifiers. On 28 March 2009, he scored his first goal for Switzerland, helping them win 2–0 against Moldova. He also helped Switzerland qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

At the 2010 World Cup, Gelson scored his most famous goal on 16 June 2010. It was the winning goal against Spain, who later won the entire tournament! This made him a national hero in Switzerland. However, Switzerland did not make it past the group stage.

For the next four years, Gelson was still part of the national team but faced strong competition for a midfield spot. He helped Switzerland qualify for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. He played one game in that tournament, against Argentina in the Round of 16, which Switzerland lost.

After the 2014 World Cup, Gelson often started on the substitute bench. In November 2014, he played his 50th game for Switzerland. He was also chosen for the UEFA Euro 2016 tournament in France. He came on as a substitute in two group games and played the whole Round of 16 match against Poland, which Switzerland lost on penalties.

He played five more matches for Switzerland over the next two years. Switzerland qualified for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. Gelson was in the squad but did not play in any matches. Switzerland was knocked out in the Round of 16 by Sweden. After this tournament, Gelson announced his retirement from international football.

Life After Playing Football

After retiring from playing, Gelson Fernandes started working in football management. From July 2021 to July 2022, he was the Vice-president of his old club, FC Sion.

In April 2022, FIFA announced that Gelson would become the Director of Member Associations Africa starting on 1 August 2022. In this important role, he helps to make football stronger and help it grow in African countries through FIFA's programs. In March 2023, he visited Ghana to meet with the Ghana Football Association and government officials to discuss football development.

Gelson Fernandes' Personal Life

Gelson Fernandes moved to Switzerland with his mother when he was five years old. They settled in Sion, where his father worked for FC Sion. Gelson feels very connected to his Cape Verde roots and culture.

He speaks many languages, including Portuguese (his native language), Creole, French, German, Italian, Spanish, and English. He even started learning Mandarin Chinese in 2017 just for fun! Gelson is also related to several other footballers, including Manuel Fernandes and Edimilson Fernandes.

Gelson is married to Tiffany, and they have a daughter named Sienna. He also has another daughter from a previous relationship.

Career statistics

Scores and results list Switzerland's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Fernandes goal.

List of international goals scored by Gelson Fernandes

No.	Date	Venue	Cap	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition	Ref.
1	28 March 2009	Zimbru Stadium, Chișinău, Moldova	17	Moldova	2–0	2–0	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
2	16 June 2010	Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban, South Africa	25	Spain	1–0	1–0	2010 FIFA World Cup

Honours

FC Sion

• Swiss Cup: 2005–06

Eintracht Frankfurt

• DFB-Pokal: 2017–18

Images for kids

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  Fernandes playing for Leicester City in 2011

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  Fernandes with Leicester City in 2011

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  Fernandes playing for SC Freiburg in 2013

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  Fernandes with Switzerland in 2015

See also

In Spanish: Gelson Fernandes para niños