Zenit St. Petersburg officially signed Mario Fernandes on one-year contract with extension option for one more season.

32-year-old player came back to Russia and became third newcomer for RPL champions after Du Quieroz and Aleksandr Kovalenko.

Fernandes spent ten years in RPL playing for CSKA, he joined the Armymen in 2012 from Gremio. During seasons with Red-Blues defender won three RPL titles, one Russian Cup and two Super Cups. In the league Mario scored nine goals in 259 matches. At the end of 2021/22 season player paused his career and moved back to Brazil. In 2023 defender resumed playing and joined Internacional; he made five appearances in Campeonato Gaucho.

In 2016 Fernandes was given a Russian citizenship, from 2017 to 2021 he played for Russia national team including participation in 2018 FIFA World Cup and UEFA EURO 2020. In total Mario has five goals and 33 caps for national team.