Gatito Fernández
Paraguayan footballer (born 1988)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Roberto Júnior Fernández Torres (born 29 March 1988), better known as Gatito Fernández, is a Paraguayan professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Paraguayan Primera División club Cerro Porteño and the Paraguay national team.
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Fernández with Cerro Porteño in 2014 | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Roberto Júnior Fernández Torres[1] | |||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 29 March 1988 | |||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Asunción, Paraguay | |||||||||||||
| Height | 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) | |||||||||||||
| Position | Goalkeeper | |||||||||||||
| Team information | ||||||||||||||
Current team | Cerro Porteño | |||||||||||||
| Number | 25 | |||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||
| 2000–2007 | Cerro Porteño | |||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||
| 2007–2014 | Cerro Porteño | 122 | (0) | |||||||||||
| 2009–2010 | → Estudiantes (loan) | 0 | (0) | |||||||||||
| 2010–2011 | → Racing Club (loan) | 15 | (0) | |||||||||||
| 2011–2012 | → Utrecht (loan) | 13 | (0) | |||||||||||
| 2014–2015 | Vitória | 39 | (0) | |||||||||||
| 2016 | Figueirense | 28 | (0) | |||||||||||
| 2017–2024 | Botafogo | 114 | (0) | |||||||||||
| 2025– | Cerro Porteño | 15 | (0) | |||||||||||
| International career‡ | ||||||||||||||
| 2007 | Paraguay U20 | 4 | (0) | |||||||||||
| 2011– | Paraguay | 31 | (0) | |||||||||||
| 2024 | Paraguay Olympic (O.P.) | 5 | (0) | |||||||||||
Medal record
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* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 24 May 2026 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 31 August 2026 | ||||||||||||||
He is known as Gatito (English: little cat or kitten) for being the son of former Paraguayan 1986 World Cup goalkeeper Roberto Fernández, nicknamed Gato (English: cat). Because of his father, who was a goalkeeper at Brazilian clubs, such as Internacional and Palmeiras, Gatito had lived in Brazil before his professional days.[2]
Club career
Early career
Fernández started his professional career with Paraguayan Primera División club Cerro Porteño in 2007. He became Paraguayan champion with the club in the 2009 Apertura. Following the achievement, he joined Argentine Primera División side Estudiantes de La Plata. After a season in the club without any first team appearance, he joined Racing.[3]
In August 2011, FC Utrecht announced the signing of Fernández on loan for one year to cover a possible departure of Michel Vorm. [4]
Botafogo
On 26 November 2016, Fernandéz signed with Botafogo on a two-year contract until December 2018, moving on a free transfer.[5]
On 9 April 2018, after good performances in the 2017 Copa Libertadores and 2018 Campeonato Carioca, Botafogo extended contract with Fernandéz until December 2021.[6][7]
On 6 October 2022, he became the foreign player with the most appearances for Botafogo, surpassing his teammate Joel Carli with 188 games.[8]
On 2 February 2023, Fernández signed a contract renewal until the end of 2024 with Botafogo.[9]
On 19 July, Fernández returned to play for Botafogo in a 1–1 draw against the Argentine team Patronato, a game valid for the Copa Sudamericana.[10] The game marked Gatito's return after eight months without playing. Although the goalkeeper had been fully recovered for months from the injury suffered in a game against Atlético Minero at the end of the previous year, his return to the field took a while to happen due to the good performances of his teammate Lucas Perri, who ended up taking over as the starting goalkeeper for Botafogo.
At the end of the season his contract was not renewed, so during his time at the Rio de Janeiro club, he played 222 matches, becoming the fifth goalkeeper with the most games in Botafogo's history.[11]
International career
Fernández debuted with the Paraguay U20 national team in the 2007 South American Youth Championship replacing the injured Blas Hermosilla. He was selected for the Paraguay senior squad for the 2011 Copa América, remaining an unused substitute as the team finished the tournament as the runner-up.
In 2019, Gatito Fernández was Paraguay's starting goalkeeper at the Copa América, earning "Man of the Match" honors in all four games he played.[12] In 2024, he served as Paraguay's starting goalkeeper at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. Following that tournament, he was recalled to the senior national team by coach Gustavo Alfaro, ending a two-year absence from the Paraguay senior squad.
Upon reclaiming the starting role, Fernández became a key figure in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, playing 11 matches and keeping six clean sheets. [13] In 2026, Gatito Fernández was selected for the World Cup squad exactly 40 years after his father, Gato Fernández, had been the starting goalkeeper at the 1986 World Cup. However, coach Gustavo Alfaro decided to use him as the backup goalkeeper. [14]
Career statistics
Club
- As of 24 May 2026[15][citation needed]
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Continental | State League | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Cerro Porteño | 2007 | Paraguayan Primera División | 12 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 12 | 0 | ||||
| 2008 | 35 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 35 | 0 | ||||||
| 2009 | 22 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 22 | 0 | ||||||
| 2012 | 5 | 0 | — | 2[a] | 0 | — | — | 7 | 0 | |||||
| 2013 | 37 | 0 | — | 2[a] | 0 | — | — | 39 | 0 | |||||
| 2014 | 11 | 0 | — | 8 | 0 | — | — | 19 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 122 | 0 | — | 12 | 0 | — | — | 134 | 0 | |||||
| Estudiantes (loan) | 2009–10 | Argentine Primera División | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Racing Club (loan) | 2010–11 | Argentine Primera División | 15 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 15 | 0 | ||||
| Utrecht (loan) | 2011–12 | Eredivisie | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 13 | 0 | |||
| Vitória | 2014 | Série A | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4[a] | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 19 | 0 | |
| 2015 | Série B | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 24 | 0 | |||
| Total | 39 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 43 | 0 | |||
| Figueirense | 2016 | Série A | 28 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2[a] | 0 | 16[b] | 0 | 2[c] | 0 | 49 | 0 |
| Botafogo | 2017 | Série A | 31 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 13[d] | 0 | 9[e] | 0 | 1 | 0 | 59 | 0 |
| 2018 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 9[e] | 0 | — | 18 | 0 | |||
| 2019 | 30 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 6[a] | 0 | 8[e] | 0 | — | 48 | 0 | |||
| 2020 | 8 | 0 | 6 | 0 | — | 8[e] | 0 | 3 | 0 | 25 | 0 | |||
| 2021 | Série B | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0[e] | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2022 | Série A | 32 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 10[e] | 0 | — | 44 | 0 | |||
| 2023 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5[a] | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 6 | 0 | |||
| 2024 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7[d] | 0 | 11[e] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 0 | ||
| Total | 114 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 32 | 0 | 55 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 222 | 0 | ||
| Cerro Porteño | 2025 | Paraguayan Primera División | 11 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6[d] | 0 | — | — | 19 | 0 | ||
| 2026 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | ||
| Total | 15 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 25 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 346 | 0 | 21 | 0 | 56 | 0 | 71 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 501 | 0 | ||
- Appearance(s) in Copa Sudamericana
- Appearance(s) in Campeonato Catarinense
- Appearance(s) in Primeira Liga
- Appearance(s) in Copa Libertadores
- Appearance(s) in Campeonato Carioca
International
- As of match played 5 June 2026.
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paraguay | 2013 | 1 | 0 |
| 2014 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2017 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 10 | 0 | |
| 2020 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2025 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2026 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 31 | 0 | |
Honours
Cerro Porteño
- Paraguayan Primera División: 2009 (apertura), 2013 (clausura), 2025 (clausura)
- Supercopa Paraguay: 2025
Estudiantes de la Plata
- FIFA Club World Cup runner-up: 2009
Botafogo
- Copa Libertadores: 2024
- Campeonato Brasileiro Série A: 2024
- Campeonato Carioca: 2018
- Campeonato Brasileiro Série B: 2021
- Taça Rio: 2023, 2024
Paraguay
- Copa América runner-up: 2011
Individual
- Copa do Brasil Best Goalkeeper: 2017
- Troféu EFE Brasil: 2017[16]