 Fernández with Colo-Colo in 2006 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Matías Ariel Fernández Fernández | ||
| Date of birth | 15 May 1986 | ||
| Place of birth | Caballito, Argentina | ||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Fiorentina | ||
| Number | 14 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1996–1998 | Unión La Calera | ||
| 1998–2003 | Colo-Colo | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2004–2006 | Colo-Colo | 82 | (37) |
| 2006–2009 | Villarreal | 70 | (7) |
| 2009–2012 | Sporting CP | 69 | (12) |
| 2012– | Fiorentina | 30 | (2) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2005 | Chile U20 | 13 | (5) |
| 2005– | Chile | 57 | (14) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 25 October 2013.
† Appearances (Goals).
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 15 October 2013 | |||
Matías Ariel Fernández Fernández (Spanish pronunciation: [maˈti.as aˈɾjel ferˈnandes], born 15 May 1986) is a Chilean professional footballer who plays for ACF Fiorentina in Serie A, as an attacking midfielder. He is known for his dribbling skills, also being a free-kick specialist.
After starting out at Colo-Colo he played several seasons with Villarreal and Sporting Clube de Portugal, moving to Europe in 2006.
Fernández was elected South American Footballer of the Year in 2006, and also appeared for the Chilean national team in the 2010 World Cup and two Copa América tournaments.
Early life
Fernández was born in the Caballito neighbourhood in Buenos Aires to Argentine mother Mirtha and Chilean father Humberto. He moved to La Calera, Chile, at the age of just four.
Fernández has three brothers, Ezequiel, Nazareno and Fatías Hernández. He considers himself Chilean, having moved out of his birth nation very early.
Club career
Colo-Colo
Fernández began with the youth squads of Colo-Colo at the age of 12. His debut in the first division came on 1 August 2004, against archrival Universidad de Chile. A week later he scored his first two goals againstClub de Deportes Cobresal; in 2006, "Matigol" scored a spectacular goal against C.D. O'Higgins, which immortalized him to fans.[1]
Fernández would go on to net a total of eight goals in the 2004 Clausura, and was named best young player of the season. In the 2006 Apertura he helped Colo-Colo capture their 24th title and, in December of the same year, he helped it reach the final of the 2006 Southamerican Cup, where they lost to C.F. Pachuca of Mexico, scoring nine times in six games for the tournament; he left Colo-Colo on a high note, winning the 2006 Clausura tournament and the South American Footballer of the Year award.
Villarreal
In late October 2006 Fernández was signed by Spanish side Villarreal CF for a fee of €8.7 million, joining compatriot Manuel Pellegrini who was the club's coach.[2] The transaction was made before he received the "South American Player of the Year" award and, despite reports that Real Madrid and Chelsea were also interested, he agreed to terms with Villarreal and arrived at the Valencia airport on 27 December; on 7 January 2007 he made his La Liga debut against neighbours Valencia CF, in a 0–1 away loss, scoring his first goal for the club three months later in a 3–0 league win at Gimnàstic de Tarragona.
Despite having had a buyout clause of €50 million inserted in his contract, Fernández failed to achieve significant playing time during his first three seasons, but still contributed with 30 matches and three goals in 2007–08 as Villarreal finished a club-best runner-up. On 10 May 2009, he scored from a penalty kickin a 3–3 away draw against eventual champions FC Barcelona.[3]
Sporting
On 1 July 2009, after being deemed surplus to requirements by new Villarreal coach Ernesto Valverde, Fernández moved to Sporting Clube de Portugal on a four-year contract, for €3.65 million,[4] with a further €500,000 payable depending on appearances. Villarreal would retain 20% of the profit on any future sale of the player.[5]
On 27 October Fernández scored his first goal for the club, in a 1–1 draw at Vitória de Guimarães, adding another the following week also in the league, at home against C.S. Marítimo (again 1–1); in the UEFA Europa League he netted another goal, in injury time of the Lions' 3–0 win against Everton, in the competition's round-of-16 (4–2 on aggregate).[6]
Fernández remained an important offensive unit in 2011–12, under both Domingos Paciência and his successor Ricardo Sá Pinto. He scored three of his four league goals against U.D. Leiria, two in the 3–1 home win[7] and the game's only in the second match through a free kick in the 101st minute – the game had been interrupted for nine minutes due to floodlights malfunction.[8]
Fiorentina
On 27 July 2012, Fernández transferred to Italian club ACF Fiorentina.[9]
International career
Fernández captained Chile at the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship, scoring a goal in the 7–0 victory over Honduras. Despite a second-round exit to the Netherlands he displayed overall good football, playing alongside Nicolás Canales, Carlos Villanueva and José Pedro Fuenzalida.
Also a former under-17 international, Fernández quickly established as an integral part of the main side, netting five goals and appearing for the nation at the2007 Copa América. After figuring prominently in the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign, he was selected for the finals in South Africa, playing – and starting – in the group stage against Honduras and Switzerland (both 1–0 wins), in an eventual last-16 exit
