| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Santiago Fernández Fernández | ||
| Date of birth | 7 March 1985 | ||
| Place of birth | Mexico City, Mexico | ||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Playing position | Striker | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2003 | América | 9 | (1) |
| 2004–2005 | Barcelona B | 10 | (0) |
| 2006–2007 | América | 35 | (3) |
| 2008–2009 | Toluca | 21 | (4) |
| 2009 | Puebla[1] | 6 | (0) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2005 | Mexico U-20 | 3 | (0) |
| 2007 | Mexico[2] | 1 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of June 1, 2008. † Appearances (Goals). |
|||
Santiago Fernández Fernández (born 7 March 1985, in Mexico City, Mexico) is a football striker who last played for Puebla F.C. in the Mexican First Division. Once hailed as one of Club América's (and Mexico's) top footballing prospects, Fernández disappeared from the sport after a brief spell in FC Barcelona's youth squad only to resurface a couple of years later for América.
A tall, lanky striker measuring in at 1.80 meters (6'1"), Santiago's skills were honed in Club América's divisions. His talent was soon recognized by legendary coach Manuel Lapuente, who promoted him to the senior squad in late 2002. His professional debut came during the Clausura 2003 season, on January 25, 2003 - in a game against San Luis F.C..[3] After a few more appearances as a late sub, Lapuente inserted Fernández in the starting lineup of a game against Club Atlas. Santiago did not disappoint, notching a goal and serving an assist in a wild 4-4 draw.
Soon after, Dutch coach Leo Beenhakker took over the reins of the club and relegated Fernández to the bench, and following a disappointing Apertura 2003 season in which he did not play, Santiago decided to try his luck abroad, signing on for FC Barcelona B to play the 2004-05 season. His performance in Mexico and subsequent emigration to Spanish football also caught the eye of Mexican national team officials, and Fernández was selected to represent his country at the 2005 Under-20 World Cup qualifying tournament, in which Mexico failed to advance to the main event, suffering two defeats and drawing once.
At FC Barcelona B, Fernández had limited participation, and was released at the end of the 2004-05 campaign. Disappointed, Santiago returned to Mexico with the intention of abandoning his football career and focusing full time on his education at Universidad Anáhuac del Norte and playing for the campus team, Halcones Anahuac. In 2006, after a heartbreaking postseason loss to UANL Tigres in the Apertura 2006 tournament and a disappointing start to the Clausura 2006 season, Manuel Lapuente made his way back into the head coaching position at Club América. Immediately, Lapuente sought out Fernández and convinced the young striker to play once more for América. Santiago showed no signs of rust, scoring in a CONCACAF Champions Cup quarterfinal match against Jamaica's Portmore United which América won 5-2. Fernández also participated in the Mexican league's Clausura 2006 season for the Águilas.
After the off-season shakeup that saw strikers Kléber Boas and Aarón Padilla shipped out to other clubs, and signees Vicente Matías Vuoso and Salvador Cabañas join the team, Fernández is was primed to secure a regular spot in the team's lineup, under new coach Luis Fernando Tena. America under the leadership of Tena suffered and he was soon fired. Fernández saw little playing time, coming off the bench most games. With new coach, Daniel Brailovsky, Fernández played even less. The media even said that there was a feud between the two and before the 2007 Clasura started Fernández made one of the best decisions of his career and left to Club Toluca.[4]
He is infamous for his role at the 2008 CONCACAF Men's Pre-Olympic Tournament, he was a substitute at the last match against Haiti, when he, along Luis Angel Landín and Enrique Esqueda missed easy goals, Santiago missed a shot from nearly 2 meters from goal with no keeper and was unable to get to the ball several times in crosses from his teammates, the next weeks playing for Toluca he was loudly booed in every venue he played in.
Santiago joined Puebla F.C. for the Clausura 2009 season, in hopes of helping the team avoid relegation to the Primera "A".[5]