Biography
Who is Gabriel Fernández Arena?
Early life and playing career
Gabriel Fernández Arena was born in Madrid. He started in the youth system at Atlético Madrid. He spent a loan period at Getafe CF from 2005 to 2007. During this time, he played 52 games in La Liga. He scored one goal against RCD Espanyol on April 9, 2006.
In February 2007, he moved to Real Zaragoza for 9 million euros. He signed a four year contract starting in July. Gabriel was a regular starter during his first year there. He scored four goals in 35 games during the 2008-09 campaign. The team regained their status in the top flight that year. In the next season, he helped the club reach 14th position.
Success at Atlético Madrid
Gabriel Fernández Arena returned to Atlético Madrid on July 1, 2011. The transfer fee was about 3 million euros. He played as a defensive midfielder alongside Mario Suárez. He won the Copa del Rey in the 2012-13 season. Diego Simeone appointed him as the team captain. He made 417 competitive appearances during his ten year stint at the club.
He helped the club win the La Liga title on May 17, 2014. This was the first league title for the team since 1996. Gabriel signed a contract extension in July 2014. He later signed another deal in October 2016. In total, he made 429 appearances in La Liga.
International and later playing years
Gabriel represented Spain at the youth level. He played in the 2003 FIFA U-20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates. Spain finished as runners-up to Brazil. He scored in the first game against Argentina in Sharjah.
On July 2, 2018, he joined Al Sadd in Qatar. He played in the Qatar Stars League for two years. He won the league title in the 2018-19 season. He also won the Sheikh Jassim Cup in 2019 and the Qatar Cup in 2020. He played in midfield with Xavi. He left the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium on June 15, 2020. He retired from professional football on November 29, 2020.
Coaching career
Gabriel Fernández Arena began coaching in July 2023. He managed the Juvenil B squad at Getafe. He became the manager of the Getafe B team on November 13. He worked in the Segunda Federación.
On March 17, 2025, he returned to Real Zaragoza as head coach. He replaced Miguel Ángel Ramírez. He kept the team in the second tier with 51 points. He was sacked on October 12 after a poor start to the season.
Birthday and age
Gabriel Fernández Arena was born on July 10, 1983, which makes Gabriel 43 years old today. That birthday falls under the Cancer sign. Gabriel shares the date with 37 other famous people.
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