Rommel Fernández

Rommel Fernández

Personal information
Full name	Rommel Fernández Gutiérrez
Date of birth	January 15, 1966(1966-01-15)
Place of birth	El Chorrillo, Panama
Date of death	May 6, 1993(1993-05-06) (aged 27)
Place of death	Albacete, Spain
Height	1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Playing position	Striker
Youth career
	Plaza Amador
–	Atlético Panamá
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1985–1987	Alianza	?	(?)
1987–1991	Tenerife	123	(47)
1991–1993	Valencia	21	(2)
1992–1993	→ Albacete (loan)	18	(7)
National team
1986–1992	Panama
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

This name uses Spanish naming customs; the first or paternal family name is Fernández and the second or maternal family name is Gutiérrez.

Rommel Fernández Gutiérrez (15 January 1966 – 6 May 1993) was a Panamanian footballer who played as a striker.

The second Panamanian footballer to play in Europe, he played almost his entire professional career in Spain, amassing La Liga totals of 104 games and 32 goals - 162/56 both major levels combined - in representation of four different teams. In 1993, he died in a car accident, at the age of just 27.

Club career

Fernández was born in the small town of El Chorrillo. In 1987, the 21-year old signed for CD Tenerife in Spain from Alianza FC, scoring a career-best 18 goals in his second season as the Canary Islands side promoted to La Liga for the first time in its history; in the following years, he also netted in double digits as the club retained its top division status - in the 1989–90 campaign, he was named Best South American Player in the Spanish League and, the following year, was voted best Ibero-American player in the competition by news agency EFE, receiving the Trofeo EFE.

Nicknamed The Panzer, Fernández signed for Valencia CF in 1991, but was used mostly as a backup in his only season, scoring just two goals. Subsequently, he moved to Albacete Balompié on loan, helping the Castile-La Mancha side retain its first division status in its second season ever, and scoring his 50th league goal in the process, against former club Tenerife.

Car accident

On 6 May 1993, after returning from a meal with his Albacete teammates, Fernández died victim of a car accident just outside Albacete, after losing control of his car and hitting his head with a tree. His cousin Ronny Rojo was also travelling with him, but emerged unharmed.

International career

Fernández represented Panama numerous times, making his debut in the late 80's. In 1986, during a trip with the national team to Spain to participate in the Mundialito de la Emigración, a tournament where Tenerife played a select squad of players with Spanish ancestry, he played well enough to be offered a contract by the hosts.

Fernández's last match with Panama was a 1–5 defeat in Costa Rica for the 1994 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, on 23 August 1992.

Legacy

Estadio de la Revolución was renamed Estadio Rommel Fernández in Fernández's honour.

External links

• BDFutbol profile
• Rommel Fernández at National-Football-Teams.com