Ignacio Martín Fernández (; born 12 January 1990), better known as Nacho Fernández, is an Argentine 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 plays as a

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

for River Plate.

Club career

Early career

Born in

Castelli Castelli may refer to: Places Argentina * Castelli, Buenos Aires, city in Buenos Aires Province * Castelli Partido, partido in Buenos Aires Province * Juan José Castelli, Chaco, in Chaco Province * Villa Castelli, Argentina, in La Rioja Pr ...

, Buenos Aires Province, Fernández's first playing years were with Club Atlético y Social Dudignac. At the age of 13, he joined

Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata Club de Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata (; ''La Plata Gymnastics and Fencing Club''), also known simply as Gimnasia, is an Argentine professional sports club based in the city of La Plata, Buenos Aires Province. Founded in 1887 as "Club de Gimnasia ...

's youth ranks. He made his professional debut for ''El Lobo'' on 2 October 2010, in a 4–2

league League or The League may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Leagues'' (band), an American rock band * ''The League'', an American sitcom broadcast on FX and FXX about fantasy football * ''League of Legends'', a 2009 multiplayer online battle a ...

defeat to

Argentinos Juniors Asociación Atlética Argentinos Juniors is an Argentine sports club based in La Paternal, Buenos Aires. The club is mostly known for its association football, football team, which currently plays in the Argentine Primera División, and was reco ...

. In 2011, Fernández was sent on a one-year loan to

Temperley Temperley may refer to: * Temperley, Argentina, a city in the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, that forms part of the Greater Buenos Aires metro area. * Temperley (surname) * Club Atlético Temperley, Temperley, Buenos Aires, Argentina; a sport ...

in the

Primera B Metropolitana Primera B Metropolitana is one of two professional leagues that form the third level of the Argentine football league system. The division is made up of 17 clubs mainly from the city of Buenos Aires and its metropolitan area, Greater Buenos Aires ...

. He made 30 appearances, scored 10 goals and made eight assistances for the side during that season. In 2012, Fernández returned to Gimnasia, then recently relegated to the

Primera B Nacional Primera Nacional (usually called simply Nacional B, (English "National B Division"), and known as Primera B Nacional until the 2019–20 season) is the second division of the Argentine football league system. The competition is made up of 38 team ...

. He promptly earned a spot in the starting lineup and contributed with three goals and eight assists to the club's return to the first division. On 17 August 2013, he scored his first Primera División goal, the last in a 3–1 win over

Rosario Central Club Atlético Rosario Central (), more commonly referred to as Rosario Central, or simply Central, is a sports club based in Rosario, Argentina, that plays in the Argentine Primera División. The club was officially founded on 24 December 1889, ...

. Fernández was the top scorer of Gimnasia in the 2015 season, with nine goals.

River Plate

On 7 January 2016, Fernández joined River Plate on a four-and-a-half-year deal. ''Los Millonarios'' paid US$ 2.1 million for 70% of his economic rights. He made his debut on 24 January, in a preseason

Superclásico ''SuperClásico'' is a 2011 Danish romantic comedy film set in Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American coun ...

which River won 1–0. Throughout the 2016 season, he established himself in

Marcelo Gallardo Marcelo Daniel Gallardo (; born 18 January 1976) is an Argentine football manager and former professional player who is the current head coach of River Plate. During his playing career, Gallardo was an attacking midfielder and playmaker. He wa ...

's team, forming a midfield line alongside

Leonardo Ponzio Leonardo Daniel Ponzio (born 29 January 1982) is an Argentinian former footballer who played mainly as a defensive midfielder. After starting out at Newell's Old Boys in 2000, he went on to spend his professional career with Zaragoza and River ...

Andrés D'Alessandro Andrés Nicolás D'Alessandro (born 15 April 1981) is an Argentine former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. He has played top-flight football in Argentina, Germany, England, Spain, Brazil and Uruguay. He won an Olym ...

and

Pity Martínez Gonzalo Nicolás Martínez, commonly known as Pity Martínez (born 13 June 1993), is an Argentine professional Association football, footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Argentine Primera División club Club Atlético River Plate, ...

. In August, he started in both legs of the 2016 Recopa Sudamericana, the first competitive honour of his career. In December, he won with River the

2015–16 Copa Argentina The 2015–16 Copa Argentina was the seventh edition of the Copa Argentina, and the fifth since the relaunch of the tournament in 2011. The competition began on January 29, 2016. Defending champions Boca Juniors were eliminated by Rosario Central ...

. On 9 December 2017, Fernández scored the winning goal in the

2016–17 Copa Argentina The 2016–17 Copa Argentina (officially the Copa Total Argentina 2016-17 for sponsorship reasons) was the eighth edition of the Copa Argentina, and the sixth since the relaunch of the tournament in 2011. The competition began on February 2 and en ...

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...

against

Atlético Tucumán Club Atlético Tucumán (mostly known as Atlético Tucumán) is an Argentine football club based in the city of San Miguel de Tucumán of Tucumán Province. Although several sports are practised at the club, Atlético is mostly known for its footba ...

, won 2–1 by River. Fernández appeared in 12 of the 14 matches of River's campaign in the

2018 Copa Libertadores The 2018 Copa CONMEBOL Libertadores was the 59th edition of the CONMEBOL Libertadores (also referred to as the ''Copa Libertadores''), South America's premier club football tournament organized by CONMEBOL. River Plate defeated Boca Juniors in ...

, including both legs of the

against

Boca Juniors Club Atlético Boca Juniors () is an Argentine professional sports club based in La Boca, a neighbourhood of Buenos Aires. The club is best known for its men's professional Association football, football team which, since its promotion in 1913 ...

. In the second leg, he assisted

Lucas Pratto Lucas David Pratto (; born 4 June 1988) is an Argentine professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Forward (association football)#Striker, striker for Paraguayan Primera División club Club Olimpia, Olimpia. Pratto has been de ...

's equalizing goal, which forced the contest into extra-time; River scored twice in the added 30 minutes and won the title, which had extra significance in the fact that it was the first time a Superclásico was contested in the final of a continental competition. In 2019, Fernández was assigned the number 10 shirt. On 30 May, in his first match with the new number, he scored the opening goal in the second leg of the 2019 Recopa Sudamericana against

Athletico Paranaense Club Athletico Paranaense (abbreviated CAP, commonly known as Athletico Paranaense and up to 2019 known as Atlético Paranaense) is a Brazilian football team from the city of Curitiba, capital city of the Brazilian state of Paraná, founded o ...

, which River won 3–1 on aggregate. On 13 December, he scored the second goal in the

2018–19 Copa Argentina The 2018–19 Copa Argentina (officially the Copa Total Argentina 2018–19 for sponsorship reasons) was the tenth edition of the Copa Argentina, and the eighth since the relaunch of the tournament in 2011. The competition began on 16 January 2019 ...

, a 3–0 triumph over Central Córdoba.

Atlético Mineiro

On 20 February 2021, Fernández joined Brazilian club

Atlético Mineiro Atlético, Spanish for ''athletics'', or Athletico in English, may refer to: Sports Teams Athletico *Athletico SC (Lebanon), a Lebanese football academy *Athletic Bilbao, or Atletico Bilbao, Basque students athletic club (also forming Athletic Cl ...

on a three-year deal. The transfer fee was a reported US$ 6 million, placing it as a joint-record signing for the club, alongside the deals for Yimmi Chará and

Matías Zaracho Federico Matías Javier Zaracho (born 10 March 1998) is an Argentine footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Racing Club. Club career Zaracho came up through the youth ranks of Racing Club. He made his league debut on 17 Decembe ...

. He made his debut on 19 March, in a 3–0

Campeonato Mineiro The Campeonato Mineiro is the top-flight professional state football league in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. It is run by the Minas Gerais Football Federation (FMF). The history of Campeonato Mineiro can be divided into two parts: bef ...

win over

Coimbra Coimbra (, also , , or ), officially the City of Coimbra (), is a city and a concelho, municipality in Portugal. The population of the municipality at the 2021 census was 140,796, in an area of . The fourth-largest agglomerated urban area in Po ...

; he opened the score, assisted the second goal for Igor Rabello and was fouled in the box, with

Hulk The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of ''The Incredible Hulk (comic book), The Incredible Hulk ...

scoring from the resulting penalty kick. Fernández was one of the team's standout players for much of the season, playing in an attacking midfielder role behind center forward

; his performances in the victorious state championship campaign earned him a nomination to the team of tournament. On 2 July, he scored twice in a 4–1 Série A win over

Atlético Goianiense Atlético, Spanish for ''athletics'', or Athletico in English, may refer to: Sports Teams Athletico *Athletico SC (Lebanon), a Lebanese football academy *Athletic Bilbao, or Atletico Bilbao, Basque students athletic club (also forming Athletic Cl ...

. On 14 October, he took part in all three goals of a 3–1 league win over Santos, scoring a brace and assisting a

Nathan Silva Nathanael Ananias da Silva (born 6 May 1997), known as Nathan Silva or simply Nathan, is a Brazilian professional soccer player who plays for Liga MX club UNAM. Mainly a central defender, he can also play as a defensive midfielder. Club caree ...

header. In the final stretch of the Série A and the

Copa do Brasil The Copa do Brasil () is a knockout football competition played by 92 teams, representing all 26 Brazilian states plus the Federal District. It is the Brazilian domestic cup and it is the Brazilian equivalent of the FA Cup, Taça de Portugal, ...

, after facing a series of muscle injuries coupled with the consolidation of

Diego Costa Diego da Silva Costa (, ; born 7 October 1988) is a professional Association football, footballer who most recently played as a Striker (association football), striker for Campeonato Brasileiro Série A club Grêmio FBPA, Grêmio. Costa be ...

in the starting lineup, Fernández was restricted mainly to making second half appearances. Despite this, his overall contribution to Atlético's

domestic treble A treble in association football is achieved when a club team wins three trophies in a single season. A continental treble involves winning the club's top-level domestic league competition, main domestic cup competition, and main continental tro ...

winning season, with 10 goals and 11 assists in 52 games, earned him nominations to both the

Prêmio Craque do Brasileirão The Prêmio Craque do Brasileirão () is an award given by the Brazilian Football Confederation (known as CBF) and TV Globo for the best players, head coaches, and referees of the Série A. Player of the Year ("Craque do Brasileirão") Team o ...

and Bola de Prata awards.

Return to River Plate

On 22 December 2022, River Plate announced the return of Fernández to the club.

International career

In May 2017, Fernández received his first call up to the Argentina national team. He made his international debut in a friendly win against

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

on 13 June, coming off the bench in the 75th minute and assisting an

Ángel Di María Ángel Fabián Di María (; born 14 February 1988) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a right winger for Primeira Liga club Benfica. Widely regarded as one of the greatest Argentine players of all time and one of the best pl ...

goal to complete the 6–0 score.

Career statistics

Honours

River Plate *

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 ...

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

Recopa Sudamericana The CONMEBOL Recopa Sudamericana (), also known as Recopa Sudamericana or CONMEBOL Recopa, and simply as Recopa (, ; "Winners' Cup"), is an annual international club Association football, football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 1988. It ...

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

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 ...

2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...

Copa Argentina The Copa Argentina (English: ''Argentine Cup''), officially known as the "Copa Argentina AXION energy" due to sponsorship reasons, is an official football cup competition organized by the Argentine Football Association (AFA). The first editions ...

: 2015–16, 2016–17, 2018–19 *

Supercopa Argentina The Supercopa Argentina (English: Argentine Super Cup) is an official national association football cup of Argentina organized by the Argentine Football Association (AFA). The annual football match was played for the first time in 2012, being con ...

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

Atlético Mineiro * Série A:

2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

Supercopa do Brasil The Supercopa do Brasil (), also known as Supercopa Rei (), is a Brazilian association football trophy organized by the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF). It is contested between the champions of the Campeonato Brasileiro and the winners of ...

Individual *

Team of the Tournament:

*Copa Argentina Team of the Tournament: 2015–16, 2016–17, 2018–19 *South American Team of the Year: 2019, 2020 * Best Central Midfielder in Brazil:

* Campeonato Brasileiro Série A Team of the Tournament: 2021 * Bola de Prata: 2021 *Campeonato Mineiro Team of the Tournament:

References

External links

Profile
at River Plate's official website * {{DEFAULTSORT:Fernandez, Ignacio Living people 1990 births Footballers from Buenos Aires Province Argentine men's footballers Men's association football midfielders Club de Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata footballers Club Atlético Temperley footballers Club Atlético River Plate footballers Clube Atlético Mineiro players Argentine Primera División players Primera Nacional players Primera B Metropolitana players Campeonato Brasileiro Série A players Argentina men's international footballers Argentine expatriate men's footballers Argentine expatriate sportspeople in Brazil Expatriate men's footballers in Brazil 21st-century Argentine sportsmen