Mario Fernandez Net Worth

Biography of Mario Fernandez

Mario Fernandez is a football player from Brazil who currently plays as a defender in the Moscow football club CSKA, as well as in the Russian national football team

Childhood and youth

Mario is a native of the state of Sao Paulo, located in the southeast of Brazil. His father worked as a mini-football coach at the local children’s sports school, so it is only logical that the sons (younger brother Jonatas is also a football player) became athletes.

Until the age of six, Mario carelessly chased the ball with friends in the yard, until his father took him to his team. Under his leadership, the boy quickly began to show excellent results, and soon he was already in the position of a central midfielder, like his idol Kaka at one time.

Sports career

Until the age of sixteen, Mario played futsal until he was noticed by representatives of the San Cayetano club and taken to their youth team. Three years later, the agents of the Gremio club laid eyes on the promising athlete and bought him out for a million dollars, signing a five-year contract.

But the young man did not reach the training base of the team. He suddenly disappeared, did not get in touch for three days and was found only with the help of surveillance cameras. It turned out that Mario had a nervous breakdown, and he wanted to go home to friends and relatives. The club management turned a blind eye to this unfortunate incident, the young man, accompanied by his mother, moved to Porto Alegria and began training.

Three months later, he made his debut as part of a new team in a match against Sport Recife, and a month later he played with Botafogo in the Brazilian championship. In total, Fernandez played in nineteen league games and immediately attracted the attention of representatives of leading European clubs. Within a few years, its price increased five times, and after being called up to the Brazilian national team, it reached fifteen million.

True, Mario did not have a chance to play for the national team. The football player celebrated this event so violently that he missed the plane and did not appear on time for the meeting. This was far from the first case of unsportsmanlike behavior of Fernandez, he often allowed himself too much before and even periodically appeared drunk at training.

Therefore, when in 2011 a proposal was made to transfer Mario to CSKA, the Gremio management was no longer so categorical and began to bargain. A year later, the parties came to an agreement, and for fifteen million Fernandez became a player in the Russian club. A five-year contract was signed with the football player, which was extended for the same period in 2017.

The first season in Russia, Mario played in twenty-eight matches, received two yellow cards and many injuries, due to which he could not even celebrate the championship title with the team. The athlete managed to fully recover by the next season, and in the spring of 2014 he pleased CSKA fans with a beautiful goal in the game against Sokol Saratov.

In 2016, Fernandez received a Russian passport, which opened the way for him to the Russian national team. In the fall of 2017, he made his debut in the team, replacing Alexander Samedov in the match against South Korea.

In May 2018, Mario Fernandez was included by Cherchesov in the expanded list of players for the Russian national team at the World Cup. In the match with Spain in the 1/8 of the championship, the footballer helped the national team to win and go to the quarterfinals. In the 1/4 finals, playing with Croatia, Mario scored his debut goal, and the team equalized the score.

Personal life of Mario Fernandez

After moving to Russia, the life of a football player has changed dramatically. Either the harsh climate worked, or it was time to settle down, but from a desperate reveler and drunkard, Mario turned into a respectable citizen, leading a sober lifestyle and attending church on Sundays.

True, the athlete has not yet acquired a family. His girlfriend Sarah Beltram refused to move to Russia, so he was forced to leave her. In 2019, it became known that Mario Fernandez met a new love – a graduate of the Faculty of Law of the University of Coimbra, Mariana Schott de Freitas. After the announcement of the news, the footballer’s fans noticed that the girl really accompanies Mario in almost all CSKA matches.

Mario Fernandez now

After the 2018 World Cup, Fernandez continued to play in the national team – in its composition he participated in several matches, played in the League of Nations and qualifying for the 2024 World Cup. In this match, he scored the winning goal against Kazakhstan. Currently, Mario Fernandez continues to play as part of CSKA. It is known that in November 2024, during the match of the national team in the Europa League, he was injured and temporarily interrupted his activities.

Fernandez also reportedly proposed to his girlfriend, Mariana Schott de Freitas, in the fall of 2024. Now Russian and foreign football fans are waiting for his wedding.