Federico Fernández (; born 21 February 1989) is an Argentine former professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who played as a

centre-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categories: centre-backs, full-backs, sweepers ...

. Fernández began his career at

Estudiantes de La Plata ( lit. "La Plata Students"), simply referred to as Estudiantes de La Plata, is an Argentine professional sports club based in La Plata. The club's football team currently competes in the Primera División, where it has spent most of its histo ...

, where he reached the final of the

Copa Sudamericana The CONMEBOL Sudamericana, also known as Copa Sudamericana (; ), is an annual international club football competition organized by CONMEBOL, the governing body of football in South America, since 2002. It is the second-most prestigious club com ...

and won the

Copa Libertadores The CONMEBOL Libertadores, also known as Copa Libertadores de América (), is an annual continental club football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 1960. It is the highest level of competition in South American club football. The tournam ...

, before moving to

Napoli Naples ( ; ; ) is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its province-level municipality is the thir ...

in 2011. He was used sparingly by the

Serie A The Serie A (), officially known as Serie A Enilive in Italy and Serie A Made in Italy abroad for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Italy and the highest tier of the Italian football league system. Establish ...

club, and spent time on loan at

Getafe Getafe () is a municipalities in Spain, municipality and a city in Spain belonging to the Community of Madrid. , it has a population of 180,747, the region's sixth most populated municipality. Getafe is located 13 km south of Madrid's city c ...

, before joining

Swansea City Swansea City Association Football Club ( ; ) is a Welsh professional football club based in Swansea, Wales. It competes in the EFL Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Swansea have played their home matches at ...

in 2014. He played for

Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Since th ...

from 2018 to 2022. Fernández made his full international debut in 2009 and has since earned over 30 international caps, scoring three goals. He was part of the Argentine squad which reached the

2014 FIFA World Cup Final The 2014 FIFA World Cup final was the final match of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, 2014 World Cup, the 20th edition of FIFA's competition for national association football, football teams. The match was played at the Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janei ...

Early life

Fernández was born February 21, 1989, in

Tres Algarrobos Tres Algarrobos is a town in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. It is located in the Carlos Tejedor Partido. History The area was inhabited by native Argentines until the late 19th Century. In the 1880s the frontier was expanded to include the lo ...

, a town in the province of

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

. Fernández has Italian origins: his maternal great-grandfather was a native of

Lacedonia Lacedonia ( Irpinian: ) is a ''comune'' in the province of Avellino, Campania region, southern Italy. The town is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ariano Irpino. History Lacedonia was first called Akudunniad by the Osci and then Erdonea. A ...

, in the

Province of Avellino The province of Avellino () is a province in the Campania Campania is an administrative Regions of Italy, region of Italy located in Southern Italy; most of it is in the south-western portion of the Italian Peninsula (with the Tyrrhenian Sea ...

. As a result, he has an Italian passport.

Club career

Estudiantes

Fernández made his league debut for

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 The 2008 Copa Sudamericana de Clubes was the seventh edition of the Copa Sudamericana football tournament. The draw for the tournament took place on June 10, 2008 in Buenos Aires and the competition was played between July 30 and December 3. Arsen ...

. Fernández scored his first goal with the squad in an away match against

Lanús Lanús () is the capital of Lanús Partido, Buenos Aires Province in Argentina. It lies just south of the capital city Buenos Aires, in the Greater Buenos Aires conurbation, metropolitan area. The List of cities in Argentina, city has a populati ...

on 2 May 2009, following an assist by teammate Juan Sebastián Verón. Later that year, Estudiantes won the

2009 Copa Libertadores The 2009 Copa Libertadores de América (officially the 2009 Copa Santander Libertadores de América for sponsorship reasons) was the 50th edition of the Copa Libertadores de América, CONMEBOL's premier annual international club tournament. The ...

, although Fernández's only contributions were two substitute appearances against

Defensor Sporting Club Defensor Sporting Club is a sports club based in Montevideo, Uruguay. Founded in 1913, Defensor has several sports sections, with football and basketball being the most important and the ones in which the club has achieved significant achievement ...

in the quarter-finals.

Napoli

Fernández was signed by

club

in December 2010 for a reported fee of about €2.5 million. Due to his lack of a

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

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 Fußball-Club Bayern München e. V. (FCB, ), commonly known as Bayern Munich (), FC Bayern () or simply Bayern, is a German professional sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. They are most known for their men's professional football team, ...

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 The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known as the Primera División or La Liga, and officially known as LaLiga EA Sports for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Spain and the highest ...

club

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 ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as Fiorentina (), is an Italian professional Association football, football List of football clubs in Italy, club based in Florence, Tuscany. The original team was founded by a merger in August 1926, while ...

Swansea City

On 20 August 2014, it was announced that Fernández had signed for

Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...

side

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 Rotherham United Football Club, nicknamed The Millers, is a professional association football club based in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England. The team plays in EFL League One, the third tier of English football, after suffering relegation fr ...

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 Philippe Coutinho Correia (born 12 June 1992) is a Brazilian professional Association football, footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or left winger for Campeonato Brasileiro Série A club CR Vasco da Gama, Vasco da Gama, on loan fr ...

in added time at the end of Swansea's League Cup fourth-round match against

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

Anfield Anfield is a Association football, football stadium in the area of Anfield (suburb), Anfield, Liverpool, England, which has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since its formation in 1892. The stadium has a seating capacity of 61,276, making it the ...

on 28 October; minutes later,

Dejan Lovren Dejan Lovren (; born 5 July 1989) is a Croatian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Super League Greece club PAOK. Lovren began his career at Dinamo Zagreb before moving to Lyon in January 2010. He spent three and a half seas ...

scored the winner to knock Swansea out of the tournament. Two days later, however,

the FA The Football Association (the FA) is the governing body of association football in England and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. Formed in 1863, it is the oldest football association in the world and is responsibl ...

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 Aston Villa Football Club (commonly referred to as simply Villa) is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club, founded in 1874, compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The team have p ...

at the

Liberty Stadium The Swansea.com Stadium (; formerly Liberty Stadium) is an all-seated multi-use sports stadium and conferencing venue located in the Landore area of Swansea, Wales, hosting both rugby union and football. The stadium opened in 2005 and was name ...

Newcastle United

On 9 August 2018, Fernández joined

on a two-year contract. The move reunited him with

Rafael Benítez Rafael Benítez Maudes (born 16 April 1960) is a Spanish professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player. He was most recently the manager of La Liga club RC Celta de Vigo, Celta Vigo. Beníte ...

, his manager when both were at

. He scored his first Premier League goal on 2 November 2019 in a 3–2 away win at

West Ham United West Ham United Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Stratford, London, Stratford, East London, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English f ...

. His second Newcastle goal came in a 2–1 Premier League home win against

Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...

. On 7 July 2021, Fernández signed a contract extension with

Elche

On 1 September 2022, Fernández signed a one-year contract with

Elche Elche (, ; , , , ; officially: ''/'' ) is a city and Municipalities of Spain, municipality of Spain, belonging to the province of Alicante, in the Valencian Community. According to 2024's data, Elche has a population of 234,800 inhabitants,

. He left the club in December, after just one match.

Al-Duhail

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

Estudiantes and Retirement

On 17 August 2023, Fernández came back his country football club Estudiantes. On 12 December 2024, Fernández announced that he would retire 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 had his last professional career 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 Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...

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 The 2014 FIFA World Cup was the 20th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's national football teams organised by FIFA. It took place in Brazil from 12 June to 13 July 2014, after the country was awarded the hosting ri ...

. He made his

World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the name is ...

debut in Argentina's 2–1 win against

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...

at the

Maracanã Stadium Maracanã Stadium (, ; named after the Maracanã River), officially known as Jornalista Mário Filho Stadium (, ; , named after Mário Filho), is an association football stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Located in the Maracanã neighbor ...

, playing the full match in defence.

Personal life

Fernández has a wife, Florencia, and two daughters and a son - Valentina, Victoria and Viggo.

Career statistics

Club

International

:''Scores and results list Argentina's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Fernández goal.''

Honours

Estudiantes *

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

Argentine Primera División The Primera División (; ), known officially as Liga Profesional de Fútbol, or Torneo Betano for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Argentina and the highest level of the Argentine football league system. Organ ...

: 2010 Apertura *

Copa de la Liga Profesional The Copa de la Liga Profesional (English: ''Professional League Cup''; officially named "Copa Diego Armando Maradona" in its first edition) was an official Argentine football cup competition. The cup was planned and organised by the "Liga Profes ...

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

Trofeo de Campeones de la Liga Profesional The Trofeo de Campeones de la Liga Profesional is an official List of Argentine football national cups, national football cup of Argentina organized by the Argentine Football Association (AFA) and contested by the winners of Argentine Primera Divi ...

Napoli *

Coppa Italia Coppa Italia () is the annual domestic cup of Italian football. The knockout competition was organized by the DDS and the Lega Calcio until the 2009–10 season and by Lega Serie A ever since. Juventus is the competition's most successf ...

: 2011–12, 2013–14 Argentina *

FIFA World Cup The FIFA World Cup, often called the World Cup, is an international association football competition among the senior List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams of the members of the FIFA, Fédération Internatio ...

runner-up:

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

References

External links

* at Fútbol XXI * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Fernandez, Federico 1989 births Living people Argentine sportspeople of Italian descent People of Campanian descent Footballers from Buenos Aires Province Argentine men's footballers Men's association football defenders Estudiantes de La Plata footballers Copa Libertadores–winning players SSC Napoli players Getafe CF footballers Swansea City A.F.C. players Newcastle United F.C. players Elche CF players Al-Duhail SC players Argentine Primera División players Serie A players La Liga players Premier League players English Football League players Qatar Stars League players Argentina men's under-20 international footballers Argentina men's international footballers 2014 FIFA World Cup players Argentine expatriate men's footballers Argentine expatriate sportspeople in Italy Argentine expatriate sportspeople in Spain Argentine expatriate sportspeople in Wales Argentine expatriate sportspeople in England Argentine expatriate sportspeople in Qatar Expatriate men's footballers in Italy Expatriate men's footballers in Spain Expatriate men's footballers in Wales Expatriate men's footballers in England Expatriate men's footballers in Qatar 21st-century Argentine sportsmen