Ally Abdallah
Gelson Fernandes is a rising talent, a Swiss Midfielder who currently plays in the English Premier League for Manchester City. He was born on the Cape Verde Islands but grew up in Switzerland. He played for FC Sion from the age of 16, shining first in the youth team and then in the senior side who he helped to lift the Swiss Cup in 2006.
Having won high praise at both junior and Under-21 level, Gelson was instantly promoted to the senior team, playing more than 90 games for Sion and helping his team finish third in the league. This promotion not only established his reputation at club level, but also helped him advance to the senior Swiss squad, with his debut coming in a win against Holland.
On 14th July 2007, Fernandes was signed by new Manchester City boss Sven-Goran Eriksson who believed that the midfielder was the most talented young player in Switzerland. The fee, €6 million, showed how highly Eriksson rated him, and the move gave Gelson a taste of English football.
Having endured his first couple of months on the bench, Fernandes quickly established himself as a regular in the City midfield for the rest of the season. Since his arrival at the Blues, he has proved to the fans that he is more than just a midfield terrier, showing an eye for goal too, scoring twice against Newcastle United and Arsenal respectively.
He certainly has advanced and improved every part of his play since arriving in England and has hailed the Premier League much more challenging than the Swiss league when it comes to ‘rhythm, pace and individual class’. This is not surprising as it has been obvious to observers that Gelson enjoys the increased pace of English football, and he is certainly suited to it.
Gelson possesses all the attributes of a modern central midfielder; accurate passing ability, a knack of the well-timed tackle, speed and amazing stamina. One of his biggest strengths must be his never say die attitude, the kid simply does not give up and will keep fighting for the ball for the full 90 minutes. Kobi Kuhn, coach of the Switzerland, knows that he is very lucky to have this talented young player in his squad.
It is very hard to find fault with Fernandes except perhaps that he does not play those long crosses which one would expect from him and also that he should use some of his time spent on the training ground to improve his headers at goal. Other than those couple of faults, his game play is extraordinary for someone so young. He has played many games and has displayed a number of spectacular perfomances, so much so that he is now confident that he will be a certain starter for club and country.
His chances of making an impact are fair, though one might not expect him to have a huge impact in the same way one would expect from players like Cristiano Ronaldo, Totti, Ribery or Ballack. Whatever the size of his impact, he is a player who will contribute in shaping the outcome of this tournament for the co-hosts.
The Swiss team will not adversely affect him as while half are experienced players, the rest are young and talented and are hungry to taste international success. This will be Fernnades’ first appearance in a Euro tournament and he will want to be recognised as a player with much potential.
Switzerland are an unpredictable team, one would name them ‘underdogs’ because they have a team which is a mixture of experience and new talent. Despite losing their opening game against the Czech Republic, the co-hosts still have chances to advance. If Fernandes is able to help his team to the quarter-final or better yet to the semi-final, then who knows, maybe he will consequently bring the trophy to Zurich and leave an indelible mark on European and especially Swiss football!
