Manchester City’s Fernandinho wants to achieve a legacity at the club and has discussed how far away they are from the likes of Barcelona and Real Madrid in terms of being seen as a major European force.
The Brazilian was speaking to FIFA in an exclusive interview prior to his team’s Capital One Cup victory over Sunday yesterday afternoon.
Fernandinho described City’s aims, he said: “The team aims to become one of the major powers in Europe. At the moment, it’s probably too early to say if we’ve made it to that level.
“Look at the history of Real Madrid and Barcelona, for example. They’ve been winning major honours for decades, and have earned a reputation for being successful.
“City’s new era began just five years ago, when the money was invested in the club and they started to sign big name players. At the same time, I believe that we’re on the right track, even if it takes a little time to get to where we want to be.”
Although City boast some of the best players in the world, the Brazilian believes it is equally important to create a winning mentality at the club from top to bottom.
Fernandinho added: “We’ve got some great players, of course, but it’s more important to form a real unit and to change the mentality of the club, so that everyone can be part of this growth.
‘You don’t become champions, the kind of team that wins trophies every season, overnight. City suffered a little at the beginning, but we’re making progress now.
“Personally, I hope we become regular trophy winners very quickly, but let’s see what happens. Maybe we’ll get there before my contract comes to an end in five years’ time.”
