Fernando "Fer" Niño Rodríguez (born 24 October 2000) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a forward for Burgos CF.

Fer Niño
Personal information
Full name Fernando Niño Rodríguez[1]
Date of birth (2000-10-24) 24 October 2000 (age 23)[1]
Place of birth Rota, Spain
Height 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)[1]
Position(s) Forward
Team information
Current team
Burgos
Number 9
Youth career
2011–2013 Rota
2013–2014 Cádiz
2014–2016 Balón de Cádiz
2016–2019 Villarreal
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2019–2020 Villarreal C 13 (4)
2020–2023 Villarreal B 43 (4)
2020–2023 Villarreal 25 (4)
2021–2022Mallorca (loan) 23 (2)
2023– Burgos 20 (5)
International career
2021 Spain U21 5 (2)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 17:07, 31 January 2024 (UTC)

Club career edit

Villarreal edit

Niño was born in Rota, Andalusia, and joined Villarreal CF's academy in 2016 from Balón de Cádiz CF in his native region. He made his senior debut with the former's C team on 24 August 2019, starting in a 3–0 Tercera División away win against CF Recambios Colón.[2]

Niño scored his first league goal on 26 October 2019, opening the 5–0 home rout of UD Benigànim.[3] The following 22 January, when he still had not even appeared for the reserves, he made his first-team debut by coming on as a second-half substitute for Pau Torres in a 3–0 away victory over Girona FC in the round of 32 of the Copa del Rey.[4]

Niño played his first La Liga match on 25 January 2020, in a 2–1 win at Deportivo Alavés; replacing Carlos Bacca in the 88th minute, he scored the winner the following minute.[5] On 12 November, he renewed his contract until 2024.[6] He contributed five appearances to their victorious campaign in the UEFA Europa League,[7] netting against Maccabi Tel Aviv FC (group phase, 4–0)[8] and FC Red Bull Salzburg (round of 32, 2–0).[9]

In a pre-season friendly against Leicester City in August 2021, Niño broke Wesley Fofana's leg with a late challenge,[10] apologising for the action the following day on social media.[11] Later that month, he was loaned to RCD Mallorca for the season.[12]

Back to the Estadio de la Cerámica for 2022–23, Niño was assigned back to the B team, now in the Segunda División.[13]

Burgos edit

On 22 June 2023, Niño signed a three-year contract with Burgos CF also in the second tier.[14]

International career edit

Niño made his debut for the Spain under-21 side on 31 May 2021, in a 2–1 extra time defeat of Croatia in the quarter-finals of the 2021 UEFA European Championship.[15] His first goals came on 3 September, when he scored a brace in the 4–1 win over Russia for the 2023 European Championship qualifiers; his Villarreal teammate Yeremy Pino added the other two.[16]

Personal life edit

Niño's father, also named Fernando, was also a footballer. A central defender, he spent most of his career with Mallorca.[17]

Career statistics edit

As of match played 10 September 2022[18][19][20]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup Continental Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Villarreal B 2019–20 Segunda División B 4 0 4 0
2022–23 Segunda División 5 0 5 0
Total 9 0 0 0 0 0 9 0
Villarreal 2019–20 La Liga 5 1 2 1 7 2
2020–21 La Liga 17 3 5 3 6[a] 2 28 8
Total 22 4 7 4 6 2 35 10
Mallorca (loan) 2021–22 La Liga 23 2 2 0 25 2
Career total 49 6 9 4 6 2 62 12
  1. ^ Appearance(s) in UEFA Europa League

Honours edit

Villarreal

References edit

  1. ^ a b c "Fernando Niño". Diario AS. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  2. ^ Martínez, Suso (24 August 2019). "El Villarreal CF C demostró sus hechuras y ganó bien en El Perdiguer" [Villarreal C showed what they're made of and win comfortably at El Perdiguer] (in Spanish). Golsmedia. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  3. ^ "El Villarreal rompió el maleficio ante el Benigánim y ganó un partido tras un mes de sinsabores (5–0)" [Villarreal broke jinx against Benigánim and won a match after month full of setbacks (5–0)] (in Spanish). Castellón Información. 27 October 2019. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  4. ^ Esteve, David (22 January 2020). "Chukwueze lidera el pase del Villarreal a la siguiente ronda" [Chukwueze leads Villarreal's qualification to the next round]. Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  5. ^ Gillingham, Geoff (25 January 2020). "Nino the hero as Villarreal strike late at Alaves". Marca. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  6. ^ "The Villarreal of the future". Villarreal CF. 12 November 2020. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  7. ^ a b Stone, Simon (26 May 2021). "Villarreal 1–1 Manchester United". BBC Sport. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
  8. ^ Pérez, Javier (5 November 2020). "El Villarreal se pasea ante el Maccabi" [Walk in the park for Villarreal against Maccabi]. El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 May 2022.
  9. ^ López, Alba (18 February 2021). "El 'Submarino' sale a flote en Austria" [The 'Submarine' stays afloat in Austria]. Sport (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 May 2022.
  10. ^ "Wesley Fofana: Leicester City defender suffers broken leg in friendly". BBC Sport. 5 August 2021. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
  11. ^ Stone, Simon (5 August 2021). "Wesley Fofana: Villarreal's Nino apologises for tackle on Leicester defender". BBC Sport. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
  12. ^ "Fer Niño, loaned to RCD Mallorca". Villarreal CF. 18 August 2021. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  13. ^ Rivero, José Antonio (24 September 2022). "El regreso de Javi Ontiveros a Málaga y La Rosaleda" [Javi Ontiveros returns to Málaga and La Rosaleda]. Estadio Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 19 July 2023.
  14. ^ "Fer Niño, más pólvora para la delantera del Burgos CF" [Fer Niño, more gunpowder for the forward lines of Burgos CF] (in Spanish). Burgos CF. 22 June 2023. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
  15. ^ Villaescusa, Luis (31 May 2021). "España sufre para superar a Croacia y se mete en las semifinales de la Eurocopa sub-21" [Spain suffer to best Croatia and reach semi-finals of under-21 European Championships]. El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  16. ^ García, Óscar (3 September 2021). "Yéremi Pino y Fer Niño lideran el ilusionante debut de la 'generación de oro'" [Yéremi Pino and Fer Niño lead exciting debut of 'golden generation']. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  17. ^ Franch, Víctor (25 January 2020). "La semana mágica de Niño" [Niño's magical week]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  18. ^ Fer Niño at BDFutbol
  19. ^ Fer Niño at LaPreferente.com (in Spanish)
  20. ^ Fer Niño at Soccerway

External links edit