Luis Fernández (footballer, born 1972)


Luis Fernández Gutiérrez is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a left back.
In a professional career which spanned almost 20 years, he was best known for his spell at Betis, in which he played one full decade.

Club career

Fernández was born in Argomilla, Cantabria. After making his professional starts with lowly Gimnástica de Torrelavega, he made his La Liga debut for local giants Racing de Santander against Atlético Madrid, on 24 April 1994. He went on to play in 56 competitive games, before being transferred to fellow league club Real Betis for the 1996–97 season.
At Betis, Fernández consistently appeared as his team's main left back for ten years. He featured in the UEFA Champions League for the Seville side in 2005–06, after contributing with 22 league appearances in the previous campaign.
Aged 34, Fernández returned to Racing for 2006–07, playing 19 matches in his second season as the Cantabrians achieved a first-ever qualification to the UEFA Cup. On 19 April 2009, as he was nothing more than a fringe player, he appeared in his 300th top division game, a 0–1 loss at RCD Espanyol, and retired in the summer at the age of nearly 37, continuing to work with the club as a scout in the following years.

Honours

Betis