Matias Fernandez-Pardo
Belgian footballer (born 2005)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Matias Fernandez-Pardo (born 3 February 2005) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Ligue 1 club Lille. He committed to play for the Belgium national team.
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Fernandez-Pardo with Lille in 2024 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 3 February 2005 | ||
| Place of birth | Brussels, Belgium | ||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)[1] | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Lille | ||
| Number | 7 | ||
| 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 | 50 | (12) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2020 | Belgium U15 | 1 | (0) |
| 2021 | Belgium U17 | 1 | (0) |
| 2023 | Belgium U18 | 3 | (0) |
| 2023–2024 | Belgium U19 | 10 | (3) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 10 May 2026 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 18:04, 4 March 2025 (UTC) | |||
Early life
Matias 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
Gent
During 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
On 30 August 2024, Fernandez-Pardo officially returned to Ligue 1 club 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] On 10 November, he scored his first Ligue 1 goal in a 2–2 draw at Nice after a rush on the left wing.[13] On 6 January 2025, Lille revealed that Fernandez-Pardo had suffered a torn ligament in his left ankle in a 1–1 draw against Nantes two days prior.[14]
International career
Born in Belgium, Fernandez-Pardo was eligible to represent Spain, Italy, or Belgium.[15] In November 2023, he was called up by the Belgium under-19 team for the 2024 UEFA Euro Under-19 qualifying matches, and scored the winning brace against Albania.[16]
On 26 February 2025, Fernandez-Pardo's request to switch allegiance to Spain was approved by FIFA.[17] On 14 March, he was called up by the Spain national under-21 team. In August 2025, he was called up to the Spain national under-20 team for a training in camp in France ahead of the 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup,[18] but he withdrew from the squad before the beginning of camp.[19] He ultimately never represented Spain at any level.
On 14 May 2026, Fernandez-Pardo's request to switch international allegiance back to Belgium was approved by FIFA.[17]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 10 May 2026
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Gent II | 2022–23 | Belgian National Division 1 | 26 | 2 | — | — | — | 26 | 2 | |||
| 2023–24 | Belgian National Division 1 | 12 | 2 | — | — | — | 12 | 2 | ||||
| Total | 38 | 4 | — | — | — | 38 | 4 | |||||
| Gent | 2022–23 | Belgian Pro League | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[b] | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | |
| 2023–24 | Belgian Pro League | 16 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 3[b] | 0 | — | 19 | 8 | ||
| 2024–25 | Belgian Pro League | 3 | 1 | — | 4[b] | 1 | — | 7 | 2 | |||
| Total | 20 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 | — | 28 | 10 | |||
| Lille | 2024–25 | Ligue 1 | 22 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 7[c] | 0 | — | 30 | 4 | |
| 2025–26 | Ligue 1 | 28 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 11[d] | 0 | — | 40 | 8 | ||
| Total | 50 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 18 | 0 | — | 70 | 12 | |||
| Career total | 108 | 25 | 2 | 0 | 26 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 136 | 25 | ||
- Includes Coupe de France
- Appearance(s) in UEFA (Europa) Conference League
- Appearances in UEFA Champions League
- Appearances in UEFA Europa League