M. Fernandez-Pardo

Matias Fernandez-Pardo (born 3 February 2005) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a wide midfielder or forward for Ligue 1 club Lille and the Belgium national team. A former Lille youth talent across six years, Fernandez-Pardo moved back to Belgium and transitioned into Gent's youth system at the age of 15, before making his debut with the first team in March 2023 at the age of 18. The following year, he returned to Lille and signed a five-year contract with the club until 2029, scoring his first goal for the club in November. Born in Belgium and a former youth international for the country across various ranks, Fernandez-Pardo switched allegiances to Spain in February 2025, but was sporadically selected to participate in Spain's under-21 and under-20 training camps, and was ultimately never chosen to play in any of their games. He then switched his nationality back to Belgium in May 2026, and was subsequently included in the Belgium squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Early life Matias Fernandez-Pardo was born on 3 February 2005 in Brussels, Belgium within a family of Spanish and Italian descent. He started playing football at Anderlecht and Mechelen, and then joined French Ligue 1 club Lille academy in 2014. He stayed in Northern France until 2020 when he chose to come back in Belgium and join Gent youth system.

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. 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. Fernandez-Pardo signed a contract extension with Gent in June 2023 until mid-2026. In the 2024 winter transfer window, he was linked with a move to Lecce or Real Valladolid. After Gent managed to secure a ticket to the Conference League, it was reported that Bayer Leverkusen was interested in recruiting him. 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.

Lille On 30 August 2024, Fernandez-Pardo officially returned to French Ligue 1 club Lille, signing a five-year contract for the club he left as an academy player four years ago. 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. On 10 November, he scored his first Ligue 1 goal in a 2–2 draw at Nice after a rush on the left wing. 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.

International career Born in Belgium, Fernandez-Pardo was eligible to represent Spain, Italy, or Belgium. 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. On 26 February 2025, Fernandez-Pardo's request to switch allegiance to Spain was approved by FIFA. On 14 March, he was called up by the Spain national under-21 team.