Fernando "Fer" Niño Rodríguez (born 24 October 2000) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a forward for Burgos CF.

Fer Niño
Personal information
Full name Fernando Niño Rodríguez[1]
Date of birth (2000-10-24) 24 October 2000 (age 24)[1]
Place of birth Rota, Spain
Height 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)[1]
Position(s) Forward
Team information
Current team
Burgos
Number 9
Youth career
2011–2013 Rota
2013–2014 Cádiz
2014–2016 Balón de Cádiz
2016–2019 Villarreal
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2019–2020 Villarreal C 13 (4)
2020–2023 Villarreal B 43 (4)
2020–2023 Villarreal 25 (4)
2021–2022Mallorca (loan) 23 (2)
2023– Burgos 37 (6)
International career
2021 Spain U21 5 (2)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 8 June 2024

Club career

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Villarreal

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Niño was born in Rota, Andalusia, and joined Villarreal CF's academy in 2016 from Balón de Cádiz CF in his native region. He made his senior debut with the former's C team on 24 August 2019, starting in a 3–0 Tercera División away win against CF Recambios Colón.[2]

Niño scored his first league goal on 26 October 2019, opening the 5–0 home rout of UD Benigànim.[3] The following 22 January, when he still had not even appeared for the reserves, he made his first-team debut by coming on as a second-half substitute for Pau Torres in a 3–0 away victory over Girona FC in the round of 32 of the Copa del Rey.[4]

Niño played his first La Liga match on 25 January 2020, in a 2–1 win at Deportivo Alavés; replacing Carlos Bacca in the 88th minute, he scored the winner the following minute.[5] On 12 November, he renewed his contract until 2024.[6] He contributed five appearances to their victorious campaign in the UEFA Europa League,[7] netting against Maccabi Tel Aviv FC (group phase, 4–0)[8] and FC Red Bull Salzburg (round of 32, 2–0).[9]

In a pre-season friendly against Leicester City in August 2021, Niño broke Wesley Fofana's leg with a late challenge,[10] apologising for the action the following day on social media.[11] Later that month, he was loaned to RCD Mallorca for the season.[12]

Back to the Estadio de la Cerámica for 2022–23, Niño was assigned back to the B team, now in the Segunda División.[13]

Burgos

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On 22 June 2023, Niño signed a three-year contract with Burgos CF also in the second tier.[14]

International career

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Niño made his debut for the Spain under-21 side on 31 May 2021, in a 2–1 extra time defeat of Croatia in the quarter-finals of the 2021 UEFA European Championship.[15] His first goals came on 3 September, when he scored a brace in the 4–1 win over Russia for the 2023 European Championship qualifiers; his Villarreal teammate Yeremy Pino added the other two.[16]

Personal life

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Niño's father, also named Fernando, was also a footballer. A central defender, he spent most of his career with Mallorca.[17]

Career statistics

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As of match played 10 September 2022[18][19][20]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup Continental Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Villarreal B 2019–20 Segunda División B 4 0 4 0
2022–23 Segunda División 5 0 5 0
Total 9 0 0 0 0 0 9 0
Villarreal 2019–20 La Liga 5 1 2 1 7 2
2020–21 La Liga 17 3 5 3 6[a] 2 28 8
Total 22 4 7 4 6 2 35 10
Mallorca (loan) 2021–22 La Liga 23 2 2 0 25 2
Career total 49 6 9 4 6 2 62 12
  1. ^ Appearance(s) in UEFA Europa League

Honours

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Villarreal

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Fernando Niño". Diario AS. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  2. ^ Martínez, Suso (24 August 2019). "El Villarreal CF C demostró sus hechuras y ganó bien en El Perdiguer" [Villarreal C showed what they're made of and win comfortably at El Perdiguer] (in Spanish). Golsmedia. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  3. ^ "El Villarreal rompió el maleficio ante el Benigánim y ganó un partido tras un mes de sinsabores (5–0)" [Villarreal broke jinx against Benigánim and won a match after month full of setbacks (5–0)] (in Spanish). Castellón Información. 27 October 2019. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  4. ^ Esteve, David (22 January 2020). "Chukwueze lidera el pase del Villarreal a la siguiente ronda" [Chukwueze leads Villarreal's qualification to the next round]. Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  5. ^ Gillingham, Geoff (25 January 2020). "Nino the hero as Villarreal strike late at Alaves". Marca. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  6. ^ "The Villarreal of the future". Villarreal CF. 12 November 2020. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  7. ^ a b Stone, Simon (26 May 2021). "Villarreal 1–1 Manchester United". BBC Sport. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
  8. ^ Pérez, Javier (5 November 2020). "El Villarreal se pasea ante el Maccabi" [Walk in the park for Villarreal against Maccabi]. El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 May 2022.
  9. ^ López, Alba (18 February 2021). "El 'Submarino' sale a flote en Austria" [The 'Submarine' stays afloat in Austria]. Sport (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 May 2022.
  10. ^ "Wesley Fofana: Leicester City defender suffers broken leg in friendly". BBC Sport. 5 August 2021. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
  11. ^ Stone, Simon (5 August 2021). "Wesley Fofana: Villarreal's Nino apologises for tackle on Leicester defender". BBC Sport. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
  12. ^ "Fer Niño, loaned to RCD Mallorca". Villarreal CF. 18 August 2021. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  13. ^ Rivero, José Antonio (24 September 2022). "El regreso de Javi Ontiveros a Málaga y La Rosaleda" [Javi Ontiveros returns to Málaga and La Rosaleda]. Estadio Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 19 July 2023.
  14. ^ "Fer Niño, más pólvora para la delantera del Burgos CF" [Fer Niño, more gunpowder for the forward lines of Burgos CF] (in Spanish). Burgos CF. 22 June 2023. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
  15. ^ Villaescusa, Luis (31 May 2021). "España sufre para superar a Croacia y se mete en las semifinales de la Eurocopa sub-21" [Spain suffer to best Croatia and reach semi-finals of under-21 European Championships]. El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  16. ^ García, Óscar (3 September 2021). "Yéremi Pino y Fer Niño lideran el ilusionante debut de la 'generación de oro'" [Yéremi Pino and Fer Niño lead exciting debut of 'golden generation']. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  17. ^ Franch, Víctor (25 January 2020). "La semana mágica de Niño" [Niño's magical week]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  18. ^ Fer Niño at BDFutbol
  19. ^ Fer Niño at LaPreferente.com (in Spanish)
  20. ^ Fer Niño at Soccerway
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