One To Watch
Matías Fernández-Pardo: Lille's latest playmaking sensation
Belgian beginnings
Born in Brussels to a family of Spanish and Italian descent, Fernández-Pardo started life in his native country with stints at the academies of Anderlecht and Mechelen, before joining Lille's academy in 2014, aged nine. Despite staying with Les Dogues for six years, and making his debut for the Belgium U-15s, he would return to Belgium in 2020, joining the academy of KAA Gent. The Belgian club will be one well-known to Lille fans, having been where Jonathan David made his breakthough before joining the Ligue 1 side, and made his debut in 2023.
From there, he went from strength to strength, turning in a bravura display in the European playoffs in 2024, scoring seven goals in ten matches and helping his team reach the Conference League. After this strong performance, suitors came calling and he joined Lille last summer for a rumoured €10M, having helped Gent navigate the playoffs.
45’ I1️⃣-0️⃣
LOSC lead the Derby at the break 👏 ⚔️#LOSCRCL pic.twitter.com/oFuu1RCI69— LOSC (@LOSC_EN) March 30, 2025
A strong start to life in Lille, and a rebound
Having arrived late in the window, and facing strong competition from the likes of Rémy Cabella and Haakon Haraldsson, it would take some time for him to establish himself in the first team, but with plenty of opportunities as the team impressed in the Champions League, he began to feature regularly in the autumn, and scored his first goal in a draw with OGC Nice.
Just as he looked to become a regular starter, though, he injured his ankle against FC Nantes and was forced off, needing nearly two months to make his return. Despite being fit again, he had been used only from the bench of late though, with Bruno Génésio remarking that the player's level in training hadn't been sufficient for a starting berth.
But the veteran manager's tone regarding his young charge had changed on Sunday, saying of Fernández-Pardo's display: "He was very encouraging, even though he could have done better in front of goal. He is young and must be given time; he did what I expected of him. He came out early because he hadn't played for a long time, but he had done some very, very good things before his injury. He can be an important player at the end of the season."
Now having declared for Spain after receiving a call-up for their U-21s, Fernandez-Pardo is ready to make good on his manager's words, starting this weekend against Lyon.
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