Federico Fernández (footballer)

Early life

Federico Fernández was born 21 February 1989, in Tres Algarrobos, Argentina, a town in the province of Buenos Aires. He holds Italian heritage, as his maternal great-grandfather was a native of Lacedonia, in the province of Avellino. As a result, Fernández also possesses an Italian passport.

Club career

Estudiantes

Fernández made his league debut for Estudiantes de La Plata on 14 September 2008 during the 2008 Apertura tournament in a 1–0 defeat to Vélez Sársfield. He played two games in Estudiantes' run to the final of Copa Sudamericana 2008.

Fernández scored his first goal with the squad in an away match against Lanús on 2 May 2009, following an assist by teammate Juan Sebastián Verón. Later that year, Estudiantes won the 2009 Copa Libertadores, although Fernández's only contributions were two substitute appearances against Defensor Sporting Club in the quarter-finals.

Napoli

Fernández was signed by Serie A club Napoli in December 2010 for a reported fee of about €2.5 million. Due to his lack of a European Union passport, however, he arrived in Italy only in July 2011.

On 2 November 2011, Fernández scored his first two goals for Napoli, against Bayern Munich in a Champions League group stage away tie. Both headers came after Napoli had conceded three times in the first half, although Napoli lost the match 3–2.

Having only made nine appearances across all competitions for Napoli that season, on 31 January 2013 Fernández was loaned to Spanish La Liga club Getafe for the remainder of the campaign, bolstering the club's defence following the sale of David Abraham to 1899 Hoffenheim.

Fernández played the full 90 minutes of the 2014 Coppa Italia Final, which Napoli won 3–1 against Fiorentina.

Swansea City

On 20 August 2014, it was announced that Fernández had signed for Premier League side Swansea City on a four-year contract for €10 million. Six days later, he made his debut for the club, playing the entirety of a 1–0 win over Rotherham United in the second round of the League Cup. His first Premier League appearance for Swansea was on 13 September, replacing Jordi Amat at half-time in a 4–2 defeat away to Chelsea.

Fernández was given a straight red card for a foul on Philippe Coutinho in added time at the end of Swansea's League Cup fourth-round match against Liverpool at Anfield on 28 October; minutes later, Dejan Lovren scored the winner to knock Swansea out of the tournament. Two days later, however, the FA rescinded the red card on appeal from Swansea, thus avoiding a three-match ban for Fernández. On the opening day of the 2015–16 season, he scored an own goal vs Chelsea, in a match that ended 2–2 at Stamford Bridge. He scored his first goal for Swansea on 19 March 2016 in a 1–0 victory over Aston Villa at the Liberty Stadium.

Newcastle United

On 9 August 2018, Fernández joined Newcastle United on a two-year contract. The move reunited him with Rafael Benítez, his manager when both were at Napoli. He scored his first Premier League goal on 2 November 2019 in a 3–2 away win at West Ham United. His second Newcastle goal came in a 2–1 Premier League home win against Southampton.

On 7 July 2021, it was announced that Fernández had signed a new contract extension with Newcastle, alongside teammates Jacob Murphy and Dwight Gayle.

Elche

On 1 September 2022, Fernández left Newcastle, signing a one-year contract with Spanish club Elche. He left the club in December, after appearing just once for Elche.

Al-Duhail

On 4 February 2023, Fernández joined Qatari side Al-Duhail.

Estudiantes and Retirement

On 17 August 2023, Fernández returned to Argentina, joining fellow clubEstudiantes.

On 12 December 2024, Fernández announced that he would retire from professional football after the Trofeo de Campeones de la Liga Profesional match. On 21 December 2024, at the 2024 Trofeo de Campeones de la Liga Profesional match against Vélez Sarsfield, Fernández played his last professional game and won the match.

International career

In January 2009, Fernández was selected to join the Argentina under-20 squad for the 2009 South American Youth Championship in Venezuela.

Fernández made his debut for the Argentina senior team against Ecuador in April 2011. He established himself as a regular in defence during Argentina's successful FIFA World Cup qualification campaign under head coach Alejandro Sabella.

In June 2014, Fernández was named in Argentina's squad for the 2014 World Cup. He made his World Cup debut in Argentina's 2–1 win against Bosnia and Herzegovina at the Maracanã Stadium, playing the full match in defence. He was an unused substitute in Argentina's 0–1 defeat to Germany, as Argentina lost the final.

Personal life

Fernández has a wife, Florencia. The couple have two daughters, Valentina and Victoria, and one son, Viggo.

Career statistics

Club

References

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