*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 19:10, 30 December 2022 (UTC)
Daniel Márcio Fernandes (born 25 September 1983) is a former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper.
He moved frequently in his club career, representing teams in Portugal, Spain, Germany, Greece, Romania, the Netherlands, the United States, Norway and Malta.
Internationally, Fernandes played for Canada at under-20 level before switching allegiance to Portugal, and was called up for their senior team at the 2010 World Cup.
In 2000, aged 17, Fernandes returned to the land of his father and joined FC Porto's youth system.[4] In his first two years as a senior he only managed to appear for the reserves, his second team being Celta de Vigo B in Spain.
In January 2003, the Galicians loaned Fernandes to 2. Bundesliga side SSV Jahn Regensburg, but again failed to appear officially for the main squad, returning in June to Celta and being released from contract.[5]
PAOK
After a successful trial, Fernandes signed with PAOK FC, totalling four Super League Greece games in his first two seasons. In 2005, the team's general manager – and former player – Giorgos Kostikos took over after coach Nikos Karageorgiou was dismissed following a bad string of results. He immediately replaced ageing Kyriakos Tohouroglou in his starting XI with the Portuguese.
Despite many problems both inside and outside the pitch, PAOK managed to finish in sixth place in the 2005–06 campaign, with Fernandes making 27 appearances as the Thessaloniki club qualified for the UEFA Cup, only to be disqualified shortly after for irregularities. He remained first choice for the remainder of his spell.
VfL Bochum
On 23 May 2008, after extensive negotiations, PAOK accepted an offer from VfL Bochum, who signed Fernandes for a fee of approximately €1.2 million, with the player reuniting at the German side with former teammate Marcin Mięciel.
Fernandes made his Bundesliga debut on 16 August 2008, in a 1–0 away loss against Karlsruher SC.[6] He only missed three league matches in his first season, as the North Rhine-Westphalia team retained their top-division status after finishing 14th.
For the second consecutive time, Fernandes' American club folded, and he signed for Norwegian Eliteserien team Lillestrøm SK on a one-year deal in January 2017.[19][20] In May he failed a doping test when he tested positive for dextroamphetamine, and was frozen out of the squad while his representatives appealed on the basis that the drug was prescribed medicine for his attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and worthy of a medical exemption.[21]
Fernandes received his first senior call-up in November 2006,[29] as third goalkeeper behind Ricardo and Quim. In May of the following year, he was selected for a UEFA Euro 2008qualifier against Belgium and a friendly with Kuwait,[30] making his debut in the latter after replacing Quim in the 66th minute of a 1–1 draw.[31]
On 11 February 2009, Fernandes played his second international match, substituting Eduardo at the hour-mark of a 1–0 win against Finland.[32] In May 2010 he was named in the 23-man squad for that year's FIFA World Cup,[33][34] but did not appear in the tournament held in South Africa.
^Da Cunha, Pedro Jorge; Morais, Pedro (9 November 2016). "FC Porto foi a minha melhor experiência" [FC Porto was my best experience] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. Retrieved 15 November 2017.
^"Caras novas na selecção" [New faces in national team] (in Portuguese). Portuguese Football Federation. 9 November 2006. Archived from the original on 15 June 2011. Retrieved 3 March 2010.
^"Convocados revelados" [Squad revealed] (in Portuguese). Portuguese Football Federation. 10 May 2010. Archived from the original on 15 June 2011. Retrieved 11 May 2010.