Six months without playing soccer. What's bad for a mere street player is a nightmare for a professional player. And that's exactly what Fernandinho, the U-20 midfielder, recently experienced. In 2012, the player suffered two injuries to his right leg simultaneously: a fracture and a torn ankle ligament. Now fully recovered, the 20-year-old is one of Flamengo's main weapons in the fight for the U-20 Carioca Championship title against Fluminense.

"The feeling of being sidelined due to injury is very bad. What motivated me to recover was knowing that I was in the Brazilian national team coach's plans. My family, friends, and agent also gave me a lot of support. I got my head together, recovered, and I'm very happy to be back," said Fernandinho.

After recovering from his injuries, Fernandinho returned to action on February 23rd, when Flamengo's U-20 team defeated Olaria 3-2 in the Guanabara Cup. Still gaining match fitness, the left midfielder is now a bench player capable of changing the course of a match. In the final of the Rio Junior Cup, won by Mais Querido by 2 to 0 over Nova Iguaçu, Fernandinho entered the field during the game and scored the second goal for the red-black team.

Over the next two Saturdays, Fernandinho will help Flamengo battle Fluminense for the U-20 Rio de Janeiro State Championship title. The matches will be held at Moça Bonita Stadium in Bangu, and Flamengo will need two draws to win the title. However, if a team wins the first match and loses the second by the same goal difference, the match will go to penalties.

"We're going in to win. Our game plan won't change. We'll keep three players up front and, God willing, we'll win the title. If we don't win, getting two draws is fine," said Fernandinho.

 

PLAYER TECHNICAL SHEET

Full name: Fernando Henrique da Conceição
Date of birth: 16.03.1993
Preferred foot: left
Height: 1.73 m
Weight: 72 kg
Titles with Flamengo's U-20 team: Otávio Pinto Guimarães Tournament (2011 and 2012) and Rio Cup 2013