PROFILE | Matias Fernandez-Pardo – Lille’s frustrating enigma | OneFootball

Lille OSC already had a succession plan in place for Edon Zhegrova long before the Kosovan left in the summer for Juventus. And that plan was Matias Fernandez-Pardo. The young winger, who can play on either flank or as a striker, had spent six years in the Lille academy before leaving in 2020 for KAA Gent. Four years later, he would return to the north of France, a raw talent, but with obvious and spectacular potential. 

Last season, he would be slowly bedded into the first team, making several off-the-bench appearances before he handed his first start for the club in the UEFA Champions League, a 3-1 victory away to Atlético de Madrid. By late November, he was beginning to carve a regular spot in the starting lineup and would start four consecutive games in a row before he was hit with a setback. 

In January, ten minutes into a 1-1 draw with FC Nantes, Fernandez-Pardo would suffer an ankle ligament tear that would rule him out of the next eight games. Despite this, he would slowly make his way back into the team and end his first season in Ligue 1 in good form. Of the last eight games of the season, he would start in seven, scoring three and assisting one to take his tally to four goals and three assists across all competitions. 

Fernandez-Pardo’s margin for improvement clear

Coming into this season, he was to be one of the leading figures in the Lille attack, with club president Olivier Létang warning off suitors with a €70m asking fee. And he responded to the new responsibility by taking his end-of-season form into the new campaign, assisting Olivier Giroud’s winner against AS Monaco and scoring a brace against FC Metz. However, since then, his end-product has stalled. 

This is not entirely surprising when you watch the 20-year-old play, as he is wonderfully frustrating. He has the physical and technical ability to be one of the best wingers in the league; he can beat a defender with exceptional pace or trick them with feet that never seem to be where you expect them to be. He’s a player who will get the stadium standing with a drop of his shoulder, but his decision-making in the final third requires improvement. 

But he’s still learning his craft and there’s little doubt he will be a special player. Until then, he’ll be Lille’s frustrating enigma. 

GFFN | Nick Hartland