Nathan Ake has used three words to sum Fernandinho up.
Nathan Ake and Rico Lewis were playing a game of ‘Who am I?’ in a video with Manchester City’s official in-house media.
Fernandinho is without a doubt one of the greatest players to ever play for City and he has also been one of the club’s most important figures.
Signed for £30 million (BBC Sport) in 2013, the Brazilian’s acquisition was not particularly viewed as a major coup at the time.
Fernandinho was quite an unknown commodity in English football at the time and other signings made the club potentially overshadowed his arrival.
Players like Jesus Navas, Alvaro Negredo and Stefan Jovetic were signed in the same summer, who were exciting forwards.
Ake uses three words to describe Fernandinho
However, it is safe to say that Fernandinho outshone the aforementioned trio as well as Martin Demichelis, who was also signed by Manchester City in 2013.
The 39-year-old went on to win five Premier League trophies in a City shirt, six Carabao Cup trophies and one FA Cup while captaining his team to one title, making him a bona fide club legend.
Fernandinho might have been one of the most consistent players at the club ever since he was signed.
Whether it be under Manuel Pellegrini or Pep Guardiola, the Atletico Paranaense veteran was peerless.
The former Brazilian international was hailed as the “number one defensive midfielder the Premier League has ever seen” on Sky Sports.
Fortunately for Ake, he spent two seasons playing alongside the great man.
While trying to help Rico Lewis guess Fernandinho was the player in question, Nathan Ake described him as, “Captain, leader, legend.”
“He was here before”
Rico Lewis guessed: “[Vincent] Kompany?”
Ake replied, “No, [he left the club] only recently.”
Lewis asked, “Dinho?”
Ake said, “Yeah.”
The City defender may have been inspired by Fernandinho
Much like Fernandinho, Nathan Ake is the type of player who leads by example.
Since last season, the Sky Blues’ number six has grown in stature as a player and a leader in the team.
But in a similar way to Fernandinho, who was admittedly more vocal than Nathan Ake in comparison, he has not done so by barking orders at the rest.
The Dutchman seems to have believed in his talent and worked his socks off to become a world-class centre-back and left-back.
Whether Ake took inspiration from Fernandinho remains unknown but it seems that way while witnessing his rise in a City shirt.