 Fernández withFiorentina in 2015 | |||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Matías Ariel Fernández Fernández[1] | ||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1986-05-15)15 May 1986 (age 39)[1] | ||||||||||
| Place of birth | Caballito, Argentina | ||||||||||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)[1] | ||||||||||
| Position | Attacking midfielder | ||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||
| 1996–1998 | Unión La Calera | ||||||||||
| 1998–2004 | Colo-Colo | ||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||
| 2004–2006 | Colo-Colo | 82 | (37) | ||||||||
| 2006–2009 | Villarreal | 71 | (7) | ||||||||
| 2009–2012 | Sporting CP | 69 | (12) | ||||||||
| 2012–2017 | Fiorentina | 96 | (7) | ||||||||
| 2016–2017 | →AC Milan (loan) | 13 | (1) | ||||||||
| 2017–2019 | Necaxa | 37 | (4) | ||||||||
| 2019 | Atlético Junior | 11 | (1) | ||||||||
| 2020–2021 | Colo-Colo | 19 | (0) | ||||||||
| 2021–2022 | Deportes La Serena | 39 | (3) | ||||||||
| Total | 437 | (72) | |||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||
| 2005 | Chile U20 | 13 | (5) | ||||||||
| 2005–2018 | Chile | 74 | (14) | ||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||
Matías Ariel Fernández Fernández (Spanish pronunciation:[maˈti.asaˈɾjelfeɾˈnandesfeɾˈnandes]; born 15 May 1986) is a Chilean former professionalfootballer who played as anattacking midfielder. He was known for hisdribbling skills, also being afree kick specialist.
After starting out atColo-Colo, he spent several seasons withVillarreal,Sporting CP andFiorentina, having moved to Europe in 2006. He also played professionally in Mexico and Colombia.
Fernández was electedSouth American Footballer of the Year in 2006 and appeared for theChile national team in the2010 World Cup and threeCopa América tournaments, winning the2015 edition of the latter tournament.
Fernández was born in theCaballito neighbourhood inBuenos Aires to Argentine mother Mirtha and Chilean father Humberto. He moved toLa Calera, Chile, at the age of 4.[2]
Fernández began with the youth squads ofColo-Colo at the age of 12. His debut in thePrimera División came on 1 August 2004 againstClub Universidad de Chile, and a week later he scored his first two goals, againstCobresal.
Fernández would go on to net a total of eight goals in the 2004Clausura, and was named best young player of the season. In the 2006Apertura he helped his team capture their 24th title and, in December of the same year, he helped them reachthe final of theCopa Sudamericana, lost toC.F. Pachuca ofMexico, by scoring nine times in six games for the tournament. He left on a high note, winning the 2006Clausura tournament and theSouth American Footballer of the Year award.
In late October 2006, Fernández was signed by Spanish clubVillarreal CF for a fee of€8.7 million, joining compatriotManuel Pellegrini who was the coach.[3] The transaction was made before he received the "South American Player of the Year" award and, despite reports thatReal Madrid andChelsea were also interested, he agreed to terms and arrived at theValencia airport on 27 December; on 7 January 2007 he made hisLa Liga debut in a 0–1 home loss againstValencia CF,[4] scoring his first competitive goal three months later in the 3–0 league win atGimnàstic de Tarragona.[5]
Despite having had abuyout clause of €50 million inserted in his contract, Fernández failed to achieve significant playing time during his first three seasons, but still contributed 30 matches and three goals in2007–08 as the side finished a best-ever runners-up. On 10 May 2009, he scored from apenalty kick in a 3–3 away draw against eventual championsFC Barcelona.[6]
On 1 July 2009, after being deemed surplus to requirements by new Villarreal managerErnesto Valverde, Fernández joinedSporting CP on a four-year contract, for €3.65 million,[7] with a further €500,000 payable depending on appearances. Villarreal would retain 20% of the profit on any future sale of the player.[8]
Fernández scored his first goal for his new team on 27 October 2009, in a 1–1 draw atVitória de Guimarães,[9] adding another the following week also in the PortuguesePrimeira Liga, at home againstC.S. Marítimo (again 1–1).[10] In theUEFA Europa League he netted once more, in injury time of theLions' 3–0 victory overEverton in theround of 16 (4–2 on aggregate).[11]
Fernández remained an important attacking unit in2011–12, under bothDomingos Paciência and his successorRicardo Sá Pinto. He scored three of his four league goals againstU.D. Leiria, two in the 3–1 home win[12] and the game's only in the second match through afree kick in the 101st minute – the game had been interrupted for nine minutes due to floodlights malfunction.[13]
On 27 July 2012, Fernández transferred to Italian clubACF Fiorentina for about €3.1 million, plus €1.5 million bonuses.[14][15] During his spell at theStadio Artemio Franchi, he was consistently bothered by physical problems.[16]
Fernández moved to fellowSerie A teamAC Milan on 31 August 2016, on aseason-long loan deal with an option to buy.[17] He made his debut on 6 November,coming off the bench in the 2–1 away victory overU.S. Città di Palermo.[18]
On 4 September 2017,free agent Fernández signed withClub Necaxa.[19][20] On 4 February 2019 he joinedCategoría Primera A defending championsAtlético Junior on a one-year contract,[21] scoring a lateequaliser on his debut 12 days later after coming on as a second-half substitute in the 1–1 home draw withRionegro Águilas; he was namedplayer of the match.[22]
On 18 December 2019, Fernández returned to Colo-Colo by agreeing to a one-year deal with the option for a further season.[23] The 36-year-old announced his retirement on 14 February 2023, after 11 months in the same league withDeportes La Serena.[24][25]
Fernándezcaptained theChile team at the2005 FIFA World Youth Championship, scoring a goal in the 7–0 rout ofHonduras. Despite a second-round exit tothe Netherlands he displayed overall good football, playing alongsideNicolás Canales,Carlos Villanueva andJosé Pedro Fuenzalida.[26][27]
Also a formerunder-17 international, Fernández quickly established as an integral part of thefull side, netting five times and appearing for the nation at the2007 Copa América. After featuring prominently in the2010 FIFA World Cupqualification campaign, he was selected for the finals in South Africa, playing – and starting – in the group stage againstHonduras andSwitzerland (both 1–0 wins), in an eventual last-16 exit.[28][29][30]
In May 2014, Fernández underwent an ankle surgery on his right foot, thus being unable to participate inthat year's World Cup.[31] He was included in the Chilean squad for the2015 Copa América, beingsent off in the opening match, a 2–0 win overEcuador at theEstadio Nacional in Santiago;[32] after having come as a 75th-minute substitute forJorge Valdivia, he was one of four players on target inthe final againstArgentina, which ended 4–1 in apenalty shootout.[33]
Fernández was initially named in theCopa América Centenario squad, but had to withdraw through injury and was replaced byMark González[34] as the nation again won the tournament.
In December 2024, Fernández graduated as afootball manager atINAF [es] (National Institute of Football, Sports and Physical Activity of Chile).[35]
Fernández married his Chilean wife in March 2013, but the couple's first child had already been born in late 2008. He was fined forspeeding when he was driving fromSantiago toViña del Mar, to witness the baby's birth.[36]
Before moving to Europe, Fernández was often compared to compatriotDavid Pizarro, who spent most of his professional career in Italy.[37]
His daughter, Aylén, became the Chilean pre-junior champion in two categories ofspeed skating in November 2025.[38]
| Club | Season | League | Cup | International | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Colo-Colo | 2004 | Primera División | 23 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 8 |
| 2005 | 29 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 9 | ||
| 2006 | 30 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 20 | ||
| Total | 82 | 37 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 82 | 37 | ||
| Villarreal | 2006–07 | La Liga | 20 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 1 |
| 2007–08 | 30 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 3 | ||
| 2008–09 | 21 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 28 | 3 | ||
| Total | 71 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 78 | 7 | ||
| Sporting CP | 2009–10 | Primeira Liga | 28 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 13 | 1 | 46 | 5 |
| 2010–11 | 21 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 29 | 7 | ||
| 2011–12 | 20 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 11 | 3 | 38 | 7 | ||
| Total | 69 | 12 | 14 | 1 | 30 | 6 | 113 | 19 | ||
| Fiorentina | 2012–13 | Serie A | 22 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 1 |
| 2013–14 | 23 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 38 | 3 | ||
| 2014–15 | 29 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 41 | 2 | ||
| 2015–16 | 22 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 27 | 1 | ||
| Total | 96 | 7 | 12 | 0 | 23 | 0 | 131 | 7 | ||
| AC Milan | 2016–17 | Serie A | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 1 |
| Total | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 1 | ||
| Necaxa | 2017–18 | Liga MX | 20 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 2 |
| 2018–19 | 17 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 3 | ||
| Total | 37 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 42 | 5 | ||
| Junior | 2019 | Primera A | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
| Career Total | 369 | 69 | 31 | 2 | 60 | 6 | 460 | 77 | ||
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 8 October 2006 | Sausalito,Viña del Mar,Chile |  Peru | 1–1 | 3–2 | Pacific Cup |
| 2. | 8 October 2006 | Sausalito, Viña del Mar, Chile | Peru | 2–1 | 3–2 | Pacific Cup |
| 3. | 7 February 2007 | José Pachencho Romero,Maracaibo,Venezuela |  Venezuela | 0–1 | 0–1 | Friendly |
| 4. | 17 October 2007 | Estadio Nacional,Santiago, Chile | Peru | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2010 World Cup qualification |
| 5. | 10 September 2008 | Estadio Nacional, Santiago, Chile |  Colombia | 4–0 | 4–0 | 2010 World Cup qualification |
| 6. | 29 March 2009 | Monumental "U",Lima,Peru | Peru | 1–3 | 1–3 | 2010 World Cup qualification |
| 7. | 6 June 2009 | Defensores del Chaco,Asunción,Paraguay |  Paraguay | 0–1 | 0–2 | 2010 World Cup qualification |
| 8. | 26 March 2011 | Magalhães Pessoa,Leiria,Portugal |  Portugal | 1–1 | 1–1 | Friendly |
| 9. | 29 March 2011 | Kyocera,The Hague,Netherlands | Colombia | 0–1 | 0–2 | Friendly |
| 10. | 19 June 2011 | David Arellano, Santiago, Chile |  Estonia | 1–0 | 4–0 | Friendly |
| 11. | 7 October 2011 | Estadio Monumental,Buenos Aires,Argentina |  Argentina | 3–1 | 4–1 | 2014 World Cup qualification |
| 12. | 29 February 2012 | PPL Park,Pennsylvania,United States |  Ghana | 1–1 | 1–1 | Friendly |
| 13. | 9 June 2012 | José Antonio Anzoátegui,Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela | Venezuela | 0–1 | 0–2 | 2014 World Cup qualification |
| 14. | 11 September 2012 | David Arellano, Santiago, Chile | Colombia | 1–0 | 1–3 | 2014 World Cup qualification |
Colo-Colo
Sporting CP
Fiorentina
Milan
Necaxa
Junior
Chile
Individual
Chile squads | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Awards | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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