In terms of being able to demonstrate your place in the footballing world, there is nothing quite like spending a British-record in order to bring in a World Cup wining player. That is exactly what Chelsea did when they spent £106.8 million on Enzo Fernández, who arrived from Benfica not only as a World Cup winner but also having been named the Young Player Award at the tournament. He was part of the initiative from the club’s owner at the time, Todd Boehly, who was signing players for big money but doing so over long contracts in order to amortise the cost. As a result, he signed an eight-and-a-half-year contract with the Blues.
Who is Enzo Fernández?
Enzo Jeremías Fernández was born in San Martín, an area of Buenos Aires in Argentina, on the 17th of January 2001. He was quickly known simply as ‘Enzo’, which stuck with him during his life. It might well have been the plan of Fernández’s parents for him to become a successful footballer, given the fact that he was named after Enzo Francescoli, who won the Copa América three times and was a former River Plate player. Raúl Fernández, Enzo’s father, was fascinated with the Uruguayan. He married Valentina Cervantes and had a daughter in 2020 then in a son in 2023 before the pair split up towards the end of 2024.
Getting Started as a Footballer
Fernández is one of five siblings of Raúl and Marta, with his brothers being called Seba, Rodri, Maxi and Gonza. Introduced to football as a youngster when he played for his local side Club La Recova, he joined River Plate after being spotted by talent scouts. The exact year that he joined the Argentine club is unknown, with the player variously claiming he did so in 2005, 2006 and 2007. Regardless of the exact point that he was signed, he gradually made his way through the youth ranks at the club and was called up to the first team on the 27th of January 2019 by the then-manager, Marcello Gallardo, being an unused sub in a 3-1 defeat.
His debut for River Plate came in the March of the following year when he replaced Santiago Sosa with 15 minutes of normal time remaining. That was also a defeat, this time to L.D.U. Quito in the Copa Libertadores. Although he was being used sporadically, the manager recommended that he head out on loan for his own development and so he signed with Defensa y Justicia, making his debut for Hernán Crespo on the 18th of September in a 3-0 win over Delfín. Although he didn’t start initially, he impressed Crespo enough to mean that the manager began to start him, including in the 3-0 win over Lanús in the 2020 Copa Sudamericana.
Breaking into the First Team & Moving to Portugal
Exactly as Crespo had predicted, Fernández’s loan moved worked well and when he returned to River Plate he was thrown into the Copa Libertadores in a 1-1 home draw with Argentinos Juniors. His first goal for the club came on the 14th of August 2021 when he scored and assisted a 2-0 win over Vélez Sarsfield in the Argentinian top-flight.
In the December he agreed a contract extension that would keep him at the club until 2025, but a promising start to the season, scoring eight goals and assisting six others in 19 starts, he was named the best active player in Argentina and a number of big European clubs began scouting him.
One of those clubs was Primeira Liga side Benfica, who made the move to sign him for €10 million for 75% of his economic rights, as well as €8 million in add-ons. The agreement was reached on the 23rd of June 2022, with the player remaining at River Plate until the club’s Copa Libertadores campaign had reached its conclusion.
They were knocked out in the round of 16 on the 14th of July, which was the point at which Benfica confirmed the transfer and announced that Fernández would be wearing the same number as the club’s legend Eusebio had once worn, the number 13 shirt.
Catching Chelsea’s Eye
His Benfica debut came on the second of August 2022, scoring his first goal in a 4-1 win over Midtjylland in a Champions League qualifier. He also scored in the next game, which was a 4-0 win over Arouca in the league, as well as netting in the second-leg of the game against Midtjylland. Named the Primeira Liga’s Midfielder of the Month, which also happened in October and November, meant that other sides from Europe’s bigger leagues began to notice him. More importantly, at least from a personal point of view, he was also noticed by the Argentina manager, who named him in the 26-man squad for the World Cup.
The tournament was played late in the Winter in 2022 on account of the fact that it was hosted by Qatar. Fernández impressed, scoring in the group stage win over Mexico and thereby becoming the youngster player after Lionel Messi to score for his country. He played in the final against France, which Argentina won 4-2 on penalties, earning himself the Best Young Player of the Tournament trophy. This was enough for both Liverpool and Chelsea to want to sign him, with the two clubs reportedly looking to bringing him in in the January 2023 transfer window. When Benfica announced they wouldn’t sell him for less than €121 million, Liverpool bowed out.
Playing for Chelsea
The €121 million fee that Benfica asked for was the player’s release clause, with an eventual fee of £106.8 million being agreed. The agreement was reached on the 31st of January 2023, with Fernández signing an eight-and-a-half-year deal to join the London club. That meant that he was signed up to stay at Stamford Bridge until 2031, with Chelsea agreeing to pay £30 million up front followed by five further payments. His debut for the club came on the third of February 2023, playing 90 minutes in a 0-0 draw with Fulham at home. Eight days later and he got an assist in a 1-1 draw with West Ham United.
His first goal for the Blues came in a 2-1 win over AFC Wimbledon in the second round of the League Cup on the 30th of August. It took a couple of months before he got his first league goal, but ended up scoring twice in a 3-2 win over Brighton & Hove Albion on the third of December. On the 25th of February 2024, Fernández started for Chelsea in the English Football League Cup final against the team that had previously chased his signature, Liverpool. The game ended 0-0 in normal time and was headed for penalties before Virgil van Dijk scored in the 118th minute, breaking Chelsea hearts, including Fernández’s.
Fernández’s Playing Style
Enzo Fernández is considered to be a versatile midfielder, typically enjoying playing as a deep-lying playmaker. Taking responsibility for breaking up the play and setting the tempo for his team, the Argentine is also able to work as an attacking midfielder. Generally tending to work centrally, he can occupy space on the left and likes to work as a two in that defensive-midfielder role. Tending to be combative in his midfield duels, Fernández is capable of playing a variety of passes that can help to unlock stubborn defences or put opposition teams on the back foot.
Enzo is capable of dribbling in tight spaces and get himself into dangerous territory, thriving on receiving the ball when under pressure and working to recycle possession through the midfield. When Chelsea are out of possession, though, Fernández will look to disrupt the opposition’s attack in a proactive manner, looking to intercept passes thanks to his footballing intelligence and ability to anticipate what the other team is likely to do.