During Tuesday’s prematch press conference, Manchester City midfielder Fernandinho suddenly announced that he wants to leave the club to return to Brazil. The news was so abrupt that it even caught manager Pep Guardiola by surprise.
“Oh, I didn’t know,” Guardiola said during the press conference, per AP. “You give me the news. I didn’t hear it.”
It’s not every day that a club captain announces his desire to leave, especially before a big Champions League match like Wednesday’s trip to Atlético Madrid for the quarterfinal second leg. Still, when asked why he wanted to leave City, Fernandinho said the reason had to do with more playing time.