The saga is over. After months of uncertainty, discussions, and multiple attempts by the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) to persuade him, Matías Fernández-Pardo has made his final decision: he will represent Belgium. The Belgian Football Federation officially confirmed the Lille attacker’s inclusion on Tuesday, making him eligible for the ‘Red Devils’ and definitively closing the door on any possibility of playing for Spain.
Born in Brussels on February 3, 2005, the player holds triple nationality—Belgian, Spanish, and Italian—and had become one of the most sought-after names internationally due to his rapid rise and breakout season in Ligue 1. Despite strong interest from the RFEF and having previously expressed sympathy for ‘La Roja,’ the Lille No. 7 ultimately tilted the scales towards the country of his birth.
The decision comes as no surprise. Fernández-Pardo rejected call-ups to the Spanish Under-21 team on four occasions and even declined to participate in the last Under-20 World Cup. These signals already indicated that his international future lay away from Spain. With Belgium’s official announcement, it is widely expected that he will be included in Rudi García’s final 26-man squad for the World Cup in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
The player himself explained the reasons for his choice in comments to RTBF: “Choosing Belgium was not easy because I feel deeply connected to both Belgium and Spain. The positive and sincere exchanges with Rudi García and Vincent Mannaert played a decisive role in my decision.”
One key figure who influenced the final choice was Thomas Meunier. The Belgian right-back, also a Lille teammate, reinforced Fernández-Pardo’s bond with the ‘Red Devils’: “Playing alongside Thomas Meunier and Nathan Ngoy at Lille has also strengthened my decision. They helped me confirm this feeling, both on and off the pitch. I am happy to commit fully to Belgium.”
Fernández-Pardo is currently enjoying the best form of his career. He came through the youth ranks of Anderlecht and KV Mechelen, then moved to Lille’s academy before returning to Belgium to develop further at Gent. In the summer of 2024, he went back to the French club and, after a challenging first season, has now established himself as one of the standout performers in Ligue 1 under coach Bruno Génésio.
In 28 official matches this season, he has scored eight goals and provided five assists, skyrocketing his market value and catching the eye of European clubs. Quick, explosive, and capable of playing across the entire forward line, Belgium has secured one of the brightest young talents for the future.
