Role Footballer Height 1.85 m | Playing position Position Forward Name Rommel Fernandez | |
 | ||
Full name Rommel Fernandez Gutierrez Date of birth (1966-01-15)15 January 1966 Date of death 6 May 1993(1993-05-06) (aged 27) Died May 6, 1993, Albacete, Spain | ||
Rommel fern ndez leyenda del futbol paname o
Rommel Fernández Gutiérrez (15 January 1966 – 6 May 1993) was a Panamanian footballer who played as a striker.
Contents
- Rommel fern ndez leyenda del futbol paname o
- Homenaje al dolo del f tbol paname o rommel fern ndez gutierrez
- Club career
- Car accident
- International career
- Legacy
- References
The second Panamanian to play in Europe, he spent 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.
Homenaje al dolo del f tbol paname o rommel fern ndez gutierrez
Club career
Fernández was born in the Panama City neighborhood of El Chorrillo. In 1987 the 21-year-old signed for CD Tenerife in Spain from Alianza, scoring a career-best 18 goals in his second season as the Canary Islands side promoted to La Liga for the second 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 moved to Valencia CF in 1991, but was used mostly as a backup in his only season, scoring just two goals. Subsequently he joined Albacete Balompié on loan, helping the Castile-La Mancha team 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.