Matias Fernandez-Pardo (born 3 February 2005) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Ligue 1 club Lille.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 3 February 2005 | ||
| Place of birth | Brussels, Belgium | ||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Lille | ||
| Number | 19 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Anderlecht | |||
| Mechelen | |||
| 2014–2020 | Lille | ||
| 2020–2022 | Gent | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2022–2024 | Gent II | 38 | (4) |
| 2023–2024 | Gent | 20 | (9) |
| 2024– | Lille | 0 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2020 | Belgium U15 | 1 | (0) |
| 2021 | Belgium U17 | 1 | (0) |
| 2023 | Belgium U18 | 3 | (0) |
| 2023– | Belgium U19 | 10 | (3) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 18 August 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 26 March 2024 | |||
Early life
editMatias Fernandez-Pardo was born on 3 February 2005 in Brussels, Belgium within a family of Spanish and Italian descent.[2] He started playing football at Anderlecht and Mechelen, and then joined French Ligue 1 club Lille academy in 2014.[2] He stayed in Northern France until 2020 when he chose to come back in Belgium and join Gent youth system.[2]
Club career
editGent
editDuring the 2022–23 season, he was selected for Jong KAA Gent, the promising team of Gent, where he managed to score two goals in 26 appearances. On 9 March 2023, he made his official debut with Gent's first team: in a Conference League match against Istanbul Başakşehir (1–1 draw), coach Hein Vanhaezebrouck brought him on as a substitute for Hugo Cuypers in the 85th minute.[3] On 1 April 2023, he joined the first team in his first league appearance against Seraing in a match that ended 5–0 for Gent.
His first professional goal came in a 5–0 win against Charleroi.[4]
Fernandez-Pardo signed a contract extension with Gent in June 2023 until mid-2026.[5] In the 2024 winter transfer window, he was linked with a move to Lecce or Real Valladolid.[6][7] After Gent managed to secure a ticket to the Conference League, it was reported that Bayer Leverkusen was interested in recruiting him.[8][9]
During the 2023–24 Belgian Pro League play-offs, he played in each of the 10 matches and scored 7 goals, as well as providing two assists.[2]
Lille
editOn 30 August 2024, Fernandez-Pardo officially returned to Lille, signing a five-year contract for the club he left as an academy player four years ago.[2] According to various columnists and reporters, the financial details of the transfer include an initial and base fee of €10 million and a maximum of €2 million add-ons depending on sporting conditions.[10][11][12]
International career
editBorn in Belgium, Fernandez-Pardo is also eligible to represent Spain and holds dual-citizenship.[13] In November 2023, he was called up for the European Under-19 Cup qualifying matches and scored the winning brace against Albania.[14]
References
edit- ^ "Belgium - M. Fernandez-Pardo - Profile with news, career statistics and history - Soccerway".
- ^ a b c d e "Le prometteur attaquant belge, Matias Fernandez-Pardo est un Dogue". LOSC (in French). 30 August 2024. Archived from the original on 30 August 2024. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
- ^ "Ook AA Gent mag na gelijkspel tegen Basaksehir nog dromen in Conference League: Gift Orban is weer held van de avond | Het Nieuwsblad".
- ^ "« On va jouer avec ceux qui ont envie de sauver le club » : le Sporting de Charleroi va jouer sa survie en Pro League lors des Playdowns". sudinfo.be. 18 March 2024.
- ^ "Matias Fernandez-Pardo verlengt contract | KAA Gent Website". KAA Gent.
- ^ "Dal Belgio: Lecce interessato al 18enne Fernández-Pardo". 30 January 2024.
- ^ "El Valladolid habría puesto el ojo en Matías Fernández-Pardo". OneFootball. 16 August 2024.
- ^ "'Duitse landskampioen komt speler ophalen bij KAA Gent'". OneFootball. 14 June 2024.
- ^ De Graeve, Sander (20 May 2024). "Fernandez-Pardo dé uitblinker bij AA Gent met twee goals en een assist: "Ik geniet vooral van mijn eerste assist"". Het Laatste Nieuws (in Dutch). Retrieved 30 August 2024.
- ^ Van Damme, Michael (30 August 2024). "Matias Fernandez-Pardo keert terug naar Lille, AA Gent vangt minstens tien miljoen euro: "Droom om Champions League te spelen"". Het Nieuwsblad (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 30 August 2024. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
- ^ Marcant, Raphaël (30 August 2024). "Mercato : Accord trouvé entre le LOSC et le KAA Gent pour Matias Fernandez-Pardo". Le Petit Lillois (in French). Retrieved 30 August 2024.
- ^ Aouna, Santi; Denis, Sébastien (30 August 2024). "Matias Fernandez-Pardo est proche du LOSC". Foot Mercato (in French). Retrieved 30 August 2024.
- ^ "Kassa, kassa voor KAA Gent: Fernandez-Pardo". VoetbalBelgie.
- ^ "Twee doelpunten voor Fernandez-Pardo | KAA Gent Website". KAA Gent.
External links
edit- Matias Fernandez-Pardo – UEFA competition record (archive)
- Matias Fernandez-Pardo at Soccerway