Augusto Fernández

Augusto Matías Fernández (; born 10 April 1986) is an Argentine former professional footballer who played as a central midfielder.

He started his club career in Argentina with River Plate, before moving to French club Saint-Étienne, and then back Argentina with Vélez Sarsfield. In 2012, he moved to Spain to play with Celta and then Atlético Madrid. In 2018, he joined Chinese club Beijing Renhe, before joining Cádiz in Spain where he retired in 2021.

He made his debut for Argentina football team in 2011. He played 16 times for his country, and represented them at the 2014 World Cup, where he won a runners-up medal, and at the 2016 Copa América.

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 (nine starts).

Saint-Etienne On 28 August 2009, after fellow Argentine Gonzalo Bergessio joined Saint-Étienne, Fernández arrived at 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 to Rennes, and scored his first goal in the category roughly a month later in a 3–1 home win against Bordeaux. However, he only appeared in 12 matches during the campaign, as his side narrowly avoided relegation.

Vélez Sarsfield On 9 July 2010, Fernández signed a three-year deal with Argentine Primera División side Vélez Sarsfield, who bought 100% of his rights from Pinhas Zahavi for a fee of US$1.5 million. In his first tournament with his new club, the 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 2011 Clausura-winning campaign, and 10 games (over 12) and 4 goals in 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: three in the Copa Libertadores and another three in the Argentine league. Against L.D.U. Quito in 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 on a four-year deal. He made his debut in the category ten days later, starting in a 0–1 home loss against Málaga.

Fernández scored his first goal in the main category of Spanish football on 22 September 2012, netting the first in a 2–1 home win over Getafe. 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 five days later, playing 57 minutes of a Copa del Rey draw away to Rayo Vallecano before being replaced by Luciano Vietto; he made his first league appearance for the club on 11 January, against Celta, his former team. Later, he started in the 2016 Champions League final, although he was substituted off at half-time. He only made eight appearances in the following seasons with the Rojiblancos.

Beijing Renhe On 31 January 2018, Fernández signed with Chinese Super League club Beijing Renhe on an undisclosed fee.

Cádiz On 23 June 2020, Fernández returned to Spain and joined Segunda División side Cádiz for the remainder of the season. He signed an extension for the following season later, with the club achieving promotion to La Liga. On 21 May 2021, after securing first division football for the upcoming season, Fernández announced his retirement from football.

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.

Club statistics

International

International goals Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition 1. 14 June 2013 Estadio Mateo Flores, Guatemala City, Guatemala 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

International Argentina FIFA World Cup runner-up: 2014 Copa América runner-up: 2016