Christian Fernández Salas
Encyclopedia
Christian Fernández Salas, simply Christian (born 15 October 1985 in Santander, Cantabria
), is a Spanish
footballer who plays for Racing de Santander
mainly as a left defender.
's youth ranks, made his first team debut on 7 January 2007, in a 0–2 loss at Levante UD
. During that season, he made a further nine La Liga
appearances, netting his first goal in a 5–4 home win against Athletic Bilbao
, three months later.
Midway through 2007–08, Christian was loaned, alongside teammate Samuel
, to second division
strugglers UD Las Palmas
, and both proved instrumental in the Canary Islands
' outfit retaining of its league status, as Fernández netted four goals.
In the 2009–10 season
, Christian had a breakthrough year, appearing in 29 league contests for Racing, scoring twice (namely in a 3–1 win at CA Osasuna
, on 21 March 2010) as the club eventually avoided relegation; after S.L. Benfica decided to recall Romania
n László Sepsi
from his loan – eventually selling him – he had virtually no competitor for his position. He also helped his team to the semifinals
of the Spanish Cup
, notably scoring in a 3–2 win at AD Alcorcón
(which had previously ousted Real Madrid
), also the final aggregate score.
Santander, Cantabria
The port city of Santander is the capital of the autonomous community and historical region of Cantabria situated on the north coast of Spain. Located east of Gijón and west of Bilbao, the city has a population of 183,446 .-History:...
), is a Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
footballer who plays for Racing de Santander
Racing de Santander
Real Racing Club de Santander, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Santander, in the autonomous community of Cantabria. Founded in 1913, it currently plays in La Liga, holding home games at Estadio El Sardinero, with a capacity for 22,400 spectators....
mainly as a left defender.
Football career
Christian, a product of hometown's Racing de SantanderRacing de Santander
Real Racing Club de Santander, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Santander, in the autonomous community of Cantabria. Founded in 1913, it currently plays in La Liga, holding home games at Estadio El Sardinero, with a capacity for 22,400 spectators....
's youth ranks, made his first team debut on 7 January 2007, in a 0–2 loss at Levante UD
Levante UD
Levante Unión Deportiva, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, in the namesake community.Founded in 1909, it plays in La Liga, holding home games at Estadi Ciutat de València.-Early years:...
. During that season, he made a further nine La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
appearances, netting his first goal in a 5–4 home win against Athletic Bilbao
Athletic Bilbao
Athletic Club, also known as Athletic Bilbao, is an association football club from Bilbao in Biscay, Spain. The club has played in the Primera División of La Liga since its start in 1928. They have won La Liga on eight occasions...
, three months later.
Midway through 2007–08, Christian was loaned, alongside teammate Samuel
Samuel San José Fernández
Samuel San José Fernández, simply Samuel or Samu for short , is a Spanish footballer who plays for SD Ponferradina in the Spanish third division, as a defender.-Club career:...
, to second division
Segunda División
The Segunda División is the lower tier of the two professional football leagues in Spain. From the season 2008-09 onwards, the name of the league is Liga Adelante.-History:...
strugglers UD Las Palmas
UD Las Palmas
Unión Deportiva Las Palmas, S.A.D. is a Spanish football team based in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, in the autonomous community of Canary Islands...
, and both proved instrumental in the Canary Islands
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
' outfit retaining of its league status, as Fernández netted four goals.
In the 2009–10 season
2009–10 La Liga
- Personnel and sponsoring :- Before the start of the season :- During the season :-League table:||rowspan=1 style="background-color:#F9F9F9;"|||rowspan=1 style="background-color:#F9F9F9;"|...
, Christian had a breakthrough year, appearing in 29 league contests for Racing, scoring twice (namely in a 3–1 win at CA Osasuna
CA Osasuna
Club Atlético Osasuna, known as Osasuna, is a Spanish football team based in Iruñea-Pamplona, in the autonomous community of Navarre.Founded in 1920, it currently plays in the Spanish first division, holding home games at the 19,553-capacity Estadio Reyno de Navarra...
, on 21 March 2010) as the club eventually avoided relegation; after S.L. Benfica decided to recall Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
n László Sepsi
Laszlo Sepsi
László Sepsi is a Romanian footballer of Hungarian descent who plays for FC Politehnica Timişoara as a left defender.-Early career:...
from his loan – eventually selling him – he had virtually no competitor for his position. He also helped his team to the semifinals
2009–10 Copa del Rey
The 2009–10 Copa del Rey was the 106th staging of the Copa del Rey. The competition began on August 22, 2009 and concluded on May 19, 2010 with the final held at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona, in which Sevilla FC lifted the trophy for the fifth time in their history with a 2–0 victory over...
of the Spanish Cup
Copa del Rey
The Copa del Rey is an annual football cup competition for Spanish football teams. Its full name is Campeonato de España – Copa de Su Majestad el Rey de Fútbol ....
, notably scoring in a 3–2 win at AD Alcorcón
AD Alcorcón
Agrupación Deportiva Alcorcón is a Spanish football team based in Alcorcón, in the autonomous community of Madrid. Founded in 1971, it currently plays in Segunda División, holding home matches at Municipal de Santo Domingo, with a 5,430 seat capacity....
(which had previously ousted Real Madrid
Real Madrid C.F.
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
), also the final aggregate score.