Matias Fernandez was born in Argentina in 1986. His father is from Chile and the family moved there when Matias was four years old. In 2004 he made his debut for top Chile club Colo Colo and in 2006 he was named South America player of the year.
In the beginning of 2007 Villarreal with Chilean manger Pellegrini signed Matias Fernandez as a complement or replacement to star playmaker Juan Román Riquelme.