# Nacho (footballer, born 1990)
**Nacho** is the nickname of José Ignacio Fernández Iglesias (born 1990 in Madrid), a Spanish defender who spent 23 years at Real Madrid, where he made 364 first-team appearances, won 26 trophies including six European Cups, and captained the side to the 2024 Champions League title before joining [Saudi Pro League](https://www.edgepedia.org/saudi-pro-league) club Al Qadsiah.[1](https://www.realmadrid.com/en-US/the-club/history/football-legends/jose-ignacio-fernandez-iglesias) • [2](https://www.spl.com.sa/en/news/nacho-i-m-in-the-best-moment-of-my-life)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name and birth | José Ignacio Fernández Iglesias, Madrid, 1990[1](https://www.realmadrid.com/en-US/the-club/history/football-legends/jose-ignacio-fernandez-iglesias) |
| Real Madrid career | 2001 to 2024; 364 first-team appearances, 16 goals[1](https://www.realmadrid.com/en-US/the-club/history/football-legends/jose-ignacio-fernandez-iglesias) |
| First-team debut | 23 April 2011, LaLiga away to Valencia at Mestalla, as a substitute aged 21 years and 95 days[3](https://theanalyst.com/players/13710/nacho) |
| Real Madrid honors | 6 European Cups, 5 Club World Cups, 4 European Super Cups, 4 LaLiga titles, 2 Copa del Rey, 5 Spanish Super Cups (26 total)[2](https://www.spl.com.sa/en/news/nacho-i-m-in-the-best-moment-of-my-life) |
| Spain honors | UEFA Euro 2024, UEFA Nations League, UEFA European Under-21 Championship[2](https://www.spl.com.sa/en/news/nacho-i-m-in-the-best-moment-of-my-life) • [1](https://www.realmadrid.com/en-US/the-club/history/football-legends/jose-ignacio-fernandez-iglesias) |
| Current club | Al Qadsiah (Saudi Pro League) since 2024, as club captain[2](https://www.spl.com.sa/en/news/nacho-i-m-in-the-best-moment-of-my-life) |
## Real Madrid academy and debut
Nacho joined Real Madrid's youth academy, La Fábrica, in 2001 at the age of 10 and rose through every rank of the club's youth system.[1](https://www.realmadrid.com/en-US/the-club/history/football-legends/jose-ignacio-fernandez-iglesias) Before his promotion he made 88 league appearances for Real Madrid II, scoring three goals.[3](https://theanalyst.com/players/13710/nacho)
His official first-team debut came on 23 April 2011, in a LaLiga match against Valencia at Mestalla, which Real Madrid won 3-6; he played at left back under coach [José Mourinho](https://www.edgepedia.org/jose-mourinho), who gave him the opportunity and whom Nacho has described as the coach who marked his career.[3](https://theanalyst.com/players/13710/nacho) • [4](https://as.com/futbol/primera/nacho-con-mourinho-se-vienen-cosas-buenas-f202607-n/)
## Real Madrid career
Nacho spent twelve seasons in the first team as a versatile defender capable of playing in any position across the back line, mainly as a center back but also as a full back.[1](https://www.realmadrid.com/en-US/the-club/history/football-legends/jose-ignacio-fernandez-iglesias) His LaLiga career with the club totaled 242 appearances, 12 goals, and 7 assists.[3](https://theanalyst.com/players/13710/nacho) In November 2022 he recorded his 200th win for the club, against Celtic at the Santiago Bernabéu, in his 284th match, by which point he had scored 15 goals.[5](https://www.realmadrid.com/es-ES/noticias/futbol/primer-equipo/personalidades/nacho-200-victorias-con-el-real-madrid)
**Captain and the fifteenth European Cup.** Nacho ended his Real Madrid career in 2024 by lifting the European Cup as club captain at Wembley, a victory that made him one of the few players ever to have won six European Cups.[1](https://www.realmadrid.com/en-US/the-club/history/football-legends/jose-ignacio-fernandez-iglesias) He played a key role in that Champions League campaign, scoring from the spot in the penalty shootout as Real Madrid eliminated Manchester City in the quarter-finals.[1](https://www.realmadrid.com/en-US/the-club/history/football-legends/jose-ignacio-fernandez-iglesias) His 26 trophies made him, alongside [Luka Modrić](https://www.edgepedia.org/luka-modric), the most decorated player in Real Madrid history.[1](https://www.realmadrid.com/en-US/the-club/history/football-legends/jose-ignacio-fernandez-iglesias)
## Spain
Nacho's first call-up to the senior national team came in September 2013, when he had only 730 LaLiga minutes in 12 league matches behind him; he was named in a squad alongside defenders Arbeloa, Albiol, Sergio Ramos, Jordi Alba, and Monreal.[6](https://elpais.com/deportes/2013/09/02/actualidad/1378137136_419543.html) He became a full international and won the [UEFA European Under-21 Championship](https://www.edgepedia.org/uefa-european-under-21-championship) and the [UEFA Nations League](https://www.edgepedia.org/uefa-nations-league) with Spain during his time at Real Madrid.[1](https://www.realmadrid.com/en-US/the-club/history/football-legends/jose-ignacio-fernandez-iglesias) In the summer of 2024, little more than a month after lifting the Champions League trophy in London, he won [UEFA Euro 2024](https://www.edgepedia.org/uefa-euro-2024) with Spain in Berlin.[2](https://www.spl.com.sa/en/news/nacho-i-m-in-the-best-moment-of-my-life)
## Al Qadsiah
In June 2024 Nacho left Real Madrid and signed for Al Qadsiah, a newly promoted Saudi Pro League club from Al Khobar owned by the oil company Aramco and managed by his compatriot Míchel González, a former Real Madrid player who had won the second-division title with the team the previous season.[2](https://www.spl.com.sa/en/news/nacho-i-m-in-the-best-moment-of-my-life) • [7](https://as.com/futbol/internacional/imposible-regatear-a-nacho-n/) He was installed immediately as club captain.[2](https://www.spl.com.sa/en/news/nacho-i-m-in-the-best-moment-of-my-life)
His defensive record in Saudi Arabia was strong from the start: in his first 12 matches for the club, spanning 1,080 minutes, no player succeeded in beating him in a one-on-one, and he collected only three yellow cards.[7](https://as.com/futbol/internacional/imposible-regatear-a-nacho-n/) In April 2026 the club and the player announced a contract extension; that season he played all 29 of his team's matches, all as a starter, as Al Qadsiah pursued a third-place finish that would qualify for the Asian Champions League.[8](https://as.com/futbol/internacional/subidon-nacho-en-arabia-f202604-n/)
## Playing style
Nacho built his reputation on defensive reliability and positional versatility rather than on a fixed starting role, appearing at center back, right back, and left back across his Real Madrid career.[1](https://www.realmadrid.com/en-US/the-club/history/football-legends/jose-ignacio-fernandez-iglesias) Analysis of his play has emphasized his defending off the ball alongside competence in possession, and his ability to serve as the link between back-three and back-four systems.[9](https://breakingthelines.com/%40btl/player-analysis-nacho-fernandez) • [10](https://www.elconfidencial.com/deportes/futbol/2021-05-05/nacho-fernandez-real-madrid-chelsea-zidane_3061455/) [Carlo Ancelotti](https://www.edgepedia.org/carlo-ancelotti) nicknamed him "the pessimist defender" for his habit of always assuming the worst, and he was decisive in up to five Champions League final-stage campaigns across his twelve first-team seasons.[11](https://www.legalsport.net/futbol/primera-division/real-madrid/nacho-fernandez-angel-guarda/)
## References
1. [José Ignacio Fernández Iglesias – History and honours, Official website Real Madrid C.F.](https://www.realmadrid.com/en-US/the-club/history/football-legends/jose-ignacio-fernandez-iglesias)
2. [Nacho: "I'm in the best moment of my life", Saudi Pro League](https://www.spl.com.sa/en/news/nacho-i-m-in-the-best-moment-of-my-life)
3. [Nacho – Opta Analyst](https://theanalyst.com/players/13710/nacho)
4. [Nacho: "Con Mourinho se vienen cosas buenas", AS.com](https://as.com/futbol/primera/nacho-con-mourinho-se-vienen-cosas-buenas-f202607-n/)
5. [Nacho, 200 victorias con el Real Madrid, Real Madrid C.F.](https://www.realmadrid.com/es-ES/noticias/futbol/primer-equipo/personalidades/nacho-200-victorias-con-el-real-madrid)
6. [Más bisoñez para La Roja, El País](https://elpais.com/deportes/2013/09/02/actualidad/1378137136_419543.html)
7. [Imposible regatear a Nacho, AS.com](https://as.com/futbol/internacional/imposible-regatear-a-nacho-n/)
8. [Subidón Nacho en Arabia, AS.com](https://as.com/futbol/internacional/subidon-nacho-en-arabia-f202604-n/)
9. [Player Analysis: Nacho Fernández, Breaking The Lines](https://breakingthelines.com/%40btl/player-analysis-nacho-fernandez)
10. [Nacho Fernández destierra el tópico del 'siempre cumple', El Confidencial](https://www.elconfidencial.com/deportes/futbol/2021-05-05/nacho-fernandez-real-madrid-chelsea-zidane_3061455/)
11. [Nacho Fernández: el ángel de la guarda no te deja caminar solo, Legal Sport](https://www.legalsport.net/futbol/primera-division/real-madrid/nacho-fernandez-angel-guarda/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Association football › Football people and teams › People › Men's footballers of continental Europe › Spanish footballers born before 1995 › Spanish footballers born 1990–1994*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license