[2] In the following campaign, with Fernando scoring a career-best 11 goals, the Castile and León team qualified for the UEFA Cup after finishing seventh.
[3] Subsequently, he signed with Real Betis, posting two respectable top-flight seasons and netting his only goal in the UEFA Cup on 3 November 1998 in a 3–0 second-round home win over Willem II.
[4] Fernando joined Deportivo de La Coruña for 1999–2000, and appeared in 19 games for the Galicians in their first-ever championship title.
[5] He would, however, soon be deemed surplus to requirements, and served three consecutive loans until his retirement at 32: he played the first part of the 2002–03 campaign at Hannover 96 in Germany alongside teammates Jaime (also with him at Real Madrid) and José Manuel,[6][7] but soon grew unsettled and returned to Spain.
[13] On 8 February 2024, he took on the role as manager of Chinese Champions League club Xinjiang Silk Road Eagle.