This is not a biography of Enzo Fernandez, the Argentine midfielder who just completed a move from Benfica to Chelsea for a world record fee by a British club.
This is a short story about how quickly Enzo moved from an unknown player in the Argentina top division to one of the most prized assets in world football.
Enzo Fernandez joined River Plate at the age of 5 but didn’t make his debut till the 4th of March, 2020. He however struggled for game time and was loaned to Defensa y Justicia, another team in the Argentine top division.
He returned to River Plate in the 2021/2022 season after impressing on loan. He had a great start to the season, scoring 8 goals and recording 6 assists in 19 appearances. His performances attracted interest from top clubs in Europe.
On the 23rd of June, 2022 River Plate reached an agreement with Benfica for the transfer of Enzo Fernandez for just £10 million.Both clubs agree that Enzo will remain with River Plate till the end of the club’s Copa Libertadores campaign.
As fate would have it, River Plate got knocked out of the competition in the Round of 16 and that would mean Enzo would be ready to feature for Benefica in the new league season (2022/2023).
He made his debut in August for Benfica against Midtjylland in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League third qualifying round. The Argentine wasted no time announcing himself as he scored a stunning volley in that encounter.
Enzo was named Primeira Liga (Portuguese top-flight division) midfielder of the month for August, October and November.
His outstanding performances did not go unnoticed back home as he was called up by Argentina‘s senior national team coach, Lionel Scaloni for the 2022 Fifa World cup.
Enzo was not supposed to be a key player for the eventual world champions but due to an injury to Giovani Lo Celso and most importantly Argentina’s poor start to their World cup campaign, he was given the chance.
The new Chelsea player grabbed the massive opportunity and introduced himself to the world. He became Argentina’s youngest-ever goalscorer at the World cup after he scored a stunning goal against Mexico. It was no surprise that he was named the young player of the tournament after his consistently brilliant performances for Argentina.
This attracted influence from top clubs particularly Chelsea who were so keen to get the signature of the Argentine midfielder.
It was a glorious moment for Chelsea when it was announced that Enzo Fernandez would be joining Chelsea from Benefica with few minutes to the end of the January transfer window. Guess what this means?
In just 6 months, Enzo Fernandez became the best midfielder in the Portuguese League, one of the most important players for a World cup winning team, the best young player at the World cup, a World cup winner and the most expensive player in the Premier League history.
Enzo’s rise to stardom is the quickest I have ever seen in my lifetime. What about you?
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