During the 14 seasons the +3 / -3 GOE scale was in use, Fernández achieved the 2nd highest personal best short program score (109.05), the 3rd highest free skating score (216.41) and the 4th highest total score (314.93). Fernández decided to skip the 2018–19 Grand Prix series, and elected to skate at the Japan Open invitational tournament as his only competition during the first part of the season. He competed for Team Europe at the event, and placed 3rd among men with a score of 157.86 for his free program. Team Europe won the silver medal overall. On 28 November, Fernández officially stated that he would retire from competitive skating, with the 2019 European Figure Skating Championships as his last competition. Speaking about his decision, he expressed the need to think about the level of competition he wanted to be at, because he felt his body and mind were no longer there, which he had to accept. He added that he preferred to retire at the right time, when he was satisfied with his career and had plans for the future, referring among other projects to his Revolution ON Ice skating show, with which he toured Spain in November and December 2018. The news of his retirement was widely reported in Spanish as well as global media. It was also confirmed that Fernández would not compete at the Spanish National Championships in December. Fernández returned to his Toronto base in early January to train for three weeks leading up to the 2019 European Figure Skating Championships. As a tribute to his home country, he selected two Spanish themed programs from his earlier repertoire for his final competition: Malagueña as the short program, and Man of La Mancha for the free skate. "I have chosen these two programs to pay tribute to all those fans who with their flags gave me the strength to continue fighting and give the best of myself in so many places around the world." Fernández placed third in the short program at European Championships with 91.84 points after stepping out of the landing of the triple Axel and receiving an underrotation call on his quad Salchow. Fernández was displeased with his scores: "I've seen mistakes today in figure skating I've not seen in my whole life. I had a cheated quad Salchow today that was not [cheated]. I saw it on the ice and it was not." Referring to the 8.65 point lead Russia's Mikhail Kolyada had over him after the short program, he said: "I'm known for comebacks so if they let me tomorrow, I'll do it."