Daniel Fernandes (footballer)
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| Daniel Fernandes | ||
| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Daniel Márcio Fernandes | |
| Date of birth | September 25, 1983 | |
| Place of birth | Edmonton, Canada | |
| Height | 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) | |
| Playing position | Goalkeeper | |
| Club information | ||
| Current club | VfL Bochum | |
| Number | ? | |
| Youth clubs | ||
| -2000 | Vancouver Metro | |
| Senior clubs1 | ||
| Years | Club | App (Gls)* |
| 2000–2002 2002–2003 2003 2003–2008 2008– |
Porto Celta de Vigo → Jahn Regensburg (loan) PAOK F.C. Bochum |
? (?) ? (?) 0 (0) 90 (0) 0 (0) |
| National team2 | ||
| 2007- | Portugal | 1 (0) |
|
1 Senior club appearances and goals |
||
Daniel 'Dani' Márcio Fernandes (born September 25, 1983 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada) is a Portuguese-Canadian footballer. He is a member of Bundesliga side VfL Bochum.
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[edit] Early days
Fernandes started playing as a goalkeeper in Vancouver Metro. In 2000 he moved to Portugal and signed for F.C. Porto on a professional contract. He left for Celta de Vigo in 2002 and was then loaned to then-Regionalliga side Jahn Regensburg. He was confined to the second-team roster in both Celta and Regensburg. Upon Regensburg's promotion he returned from his loan spell, and was released by Celta on a free transfer. He was then picked up on trial basis from PAOK Thessaloniki FC. Then-coach Angelos Anastasiadis recognized his talent and he signed his first contract with PAOK.
[edit] Becoming first choice
In 2005, PAOK's General Manager and veteran player, Giorgos Kostikos, took over the club's fortunes, after coach Nikos Karageorgiou was sacked following a bad string of results. He immediately replaced aging keeper Kyriakos Tochouroglou in his starting eleven with Fernandes. Many people were surprised by this choice, yet it was probably his best decision in his rather short-term career as a coach. Fernandes is mainly to thank for salvaging an otherwise disappointing 2005-2006 season, when he played in almost all games, in the Greek League and Cup alike. His vital saves, stability and steadfastness were praised both by players and by the media. Despite many problems, both inside and outside the pitch, PAOK managed to secure the 6th place in the league table and qualify for the 2006–07 UEFA Cup first round. The club also made reasonably good appearances in the 2005–06 UEFA Cup group stage. These performances led Fernades to the Portugal National team. He was second keeper for the club for the 2008 Euro qualifiers.
[edit] Staying in PAOK
In summer 2006, Fernandes extended his contract until 2008. Fernandes remained the first-choice keeper through the next two seasons, which were even more disappointing for the club, especially the 2007-2008 season. PAOK finished in 9th place, the club's worst performance in twelve years, his rather error-prone performance throughout the season disappointed most fans, who were demanding more from the keeper they adored in 2006.
[edit] Transfer to German VFL Bochum
On May 23, PAOK F.C. accepted an offer from VfL Bochum to sign Fernandes for a fee of approximately €1.1 million. This was Bochum's third consecutive offer, to which both the club and Fernandes agreed on May 24. Following Marcin Mięciel, this makes Fernandes the second player to leave PAOK for Bochum, and the fourth from the Greek League overall, following Theofanis Gekas and Joël Epalle.
