| Intro | Argentine footballer |
| Is |
Athlete Football player Association football player |
| From | Argentina |
| Type | Sports |
| Gender | male |
| Birth | 10 April 1986, Pergamino |
| Age: | 34 years |
Augusto Matías Fernández (American Spanish: [au’ɣusto fer’nandes]; born 10 April 1986) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays for Spanish club Atlético Madrid and the Argentina national team as a central midfielder.
Club career
River Plate
Born in Pergamino, Buenos Aires, Fernández was a River Plate youth graduate. He made his first team debut on 29 January 2006, coming on as a substitute for Jonathan Santana in a 5–0 away routing of Tiro Federal.
Fernández scored his first professional goal on 8 April 2007, netting the equalizer in a 1–1 home draw against Belgrano. With River he won the 2008 Clausura under Diego Simeone’s coaching, playing on 15 of the 19 games (9 starts).
Saint-Etienne
On 28 August 2009, after fellow Argentine Gonzalo Bergessio joined AS Saint-Etienne, Fernández arrived to the aforementioned French club. He was loaned to the French club by a third-party owner of his rights, Israeli businessman Pinhas Zahavi.
Fernández made his Ligue 1 debut on 13 September 2009, starting in a 0–1 loss at Stade Rennais, and scored his first goal in the category roughly a month later in a 3–1 home win against FC Girondins de Bordeaux. However, he only appeared in 12 matches during the campaign, as his side narrowly avoided relegation.
Vélez Sársfield
On 9 July 2010, Fernández signed a three-year deal with Argentine Primera División side Vélez Sársfield, who bought 100% of his rights from Pinhas Zahavi for a fee of US$ 1.5 million. On his first tournament with his new club – 2010 Apertura – he played 12 games (all as a starter) on Vélez’ runner-up campaign.
Fernández totalled 17 games (over 19) and 4 goals in his team’s league winning campaign (2011 Clausura), and 10 games (over 12) and 4 goals on their Copa Libertadores semi-finalist campaign. During the semester, he scored in 57 days twice as many goals as he had during his entire professional career: 3 on the Copa Libertadores and another 3 on the Argentine league. Against LDU Quito for the Copa Libertadores round of 16, he also scored his first double.
Celta
On 8 August 2012, Fernández joined newly promoted La Liga club Celta de Vigo on a four-year deal. He made his debut in the category ten days later, starting in a 0–1 home loss against Málaga CF.
Fernández scored his first goal in the main category of Spanish football on 22 September 2012, netting the first in a 2–1 home success over Getafe CF. He finished the season as an ever-present figure for the Galicians, appearing in 36 matches and scoring six goals as his side narrowly avoided relegation.
Fernández was still a first-choice in the following campaigns, with the side now finishing in mid-table positions. On 3 October 2014, he was appointed captain of the club, replacing Borja Oubiña.
Atlético Madrid
On 1 January 2016, Fernández joined Atlético Madrid on a three-year deal for an undisclosed fee, mainly as a cover to the injured Tiago. He made his debut 10 days later in a 0–2 win against former club, Celta, playing 54 minutes before being replaced by Yannick Ferreira Carrasco.
Club statistics
- As of 16 May 2016
| Club | Season | League | Cup | International | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| River Plate | 2006–07 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 2 |
| 2007–08 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 22 | 1 | |
| 2008–09 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 23 | 0 | |
| 2009–10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total for River Plate | 46 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 56 | 3 | |
| Saint-Étienne | 2009–10 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 1 |
| Vélez Sarsfield | 2010–11 | 29 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 4 | 40 | 8 |
| 2011–12 | 29 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 3 | 46 | 10 | |
| Total for Vélez Sarsfield | 58 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 7 | 86 | 18 | |
| Celta de Vigo | 2012–13 | 36 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 39 | 3 |
| 2013–14 | 33 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 2 | |
| 2014–15 | 30 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 1 | |
| 2015–16 | 15 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 1 | |
| Total for Celta de Vigo | 114 | 10 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 122 | 10 | |
| Atlético Madrid | 2015–16 | 13 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 21 | 0 |
| Career Total | 243 | 25 | 12 | 0 | 44 | 7 | 243 | 32 | |
International career
Fernández made his full international debut for Argentina on 15 September 2011, starting in a 0–0 Superclásico de las Américas home draw against Brazil. On 2 June 2014 he was included in Alejandro Sabella’s final 23-man squad for the year’s FIFA World Cup, but was only an unused substitute during the whole tournament. In May 2016, he was included in Gerardo Martino’s 23-man Argentina squad for the Copa América Centenario, being a starter for most of the tournament before missing the final after getting injured in the semifinal match.
International goals
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 14 June 2013 | Estadio Mateo Flores, Guatemala City, Guatemala | Guatemala | 2–0 | 4–0 | Friendly |
Honours
Club
- River Plate
- Argentine Primera División: 2008 Clausura
- Vélez Sársfield
- Argentine Primera División: 2011 Clausura
- Atletico Madrid
- UEFA Champions League: Runner-up 2015–16
Country
- FIFA World Cup: Runner-up 2014
- Copa América: Runner-up 2016