Enzo Fernandez: From Messi's bodyguard to Chelsea's priceless asset

Midfielder Enzo Fernandez played the role of conductor, helping Chelsea win the Conference League and is an invaluable asset to The Blues.

Chelsea and World Cup memories

In Poland, with Real Betis leading 1-0 and just 25 minutes left in the 2024/25 Conference League final, Enzo Fernandez headed home to help Chelsea equalize.

In the extra minutes, it was Enzo who ran up the left wing, making a pass for Moises Caicedo to score the winning goal 4-1.

Enzo Fernandez started Chelsea's comeback. Photo: EFE-EPA

Enzo Fernandez has had his most explosive season in Europe: 8 goals and 14 assists. Maresca is creating an environment where he can be free in the middle of the pitch to get close to the penalty area.

What Enzo showed was reminiscent of the 2022 World Cup where he played an important role for the Argentina team.

Fernandez started in Qatar as a substitute, but every time he came on he was a rare bright spot for a sluggish Argentina. He then started, including in the final, winning 4-2 on penalties against France (3-3 draw after 120 minutes).

The midfielder born in 2001 won the 2022 World Cup with extraordinary progress. At first, Lionel Scaloni called him up, causing a lot of controversy.

At the age of five, Enzo was invited to the River Plate academy; after just one season in the first team, he moved to Benfica with a release clause of 120 million euros. He played three friendlies and attended the World Cup.

Pablo Esquivel was the first coach to discover Enzo in the suburbs of Buenos Aires. They have kept in touch ever since.

“Just shoot from outside the box and I will score,” Enzo showed off Esquivel’s message before the Mexico match in the 2022 group stage.

He did so, making it 2-0, becoming the youngest player to score for Argentina at a World Cup since Messi (against Serbia in 2006, aged 18 years and 257 days). Enzo was 21 years and 313 days.

Enzo Fernandez with Messi and Dibu Martinez at the 2022 World Cup. Photo: EFE

The "fat" guy and Messi's apology letter

“With a strong personality, Enzo has no limits, is never satisfied, and does not allow himself to make mistakes. When he moved out to live alone, the first thing he asked his agent to do was build a gym in his house,” Esquivel said.

He explained his efforts to bring Fernandez to River Plate: “I was impressed by Enzo’s intelligence and leadership qualities, even though he was very young. I went to see his parents, talked to them and a few months later they brought him.”

At River, Enzo quickly became known as “músico” (conductor), with a special nickname: “gordo” (fat guy).

In fact, close friends still call Enzo Fernandez that to this day.

“He never wanted to show anyone his 10-year-old picture because he was so chubby,” his father, Raul, explains. “Through a friend, I took him to a high-end training center, where he lost 5kg in a month and hasn’t stopped since.”

Back then, the training journey was not easy: “My wife took him to practice by bus because we didn’t have a car. We left at noon and didn’t come back until 6 or 7 pm, depending on how fast the bus was.”

A few days after the 2022 World Cup, Chelsea activated Enzo's contract termination clause with Benfica.

Enzo Fernandez quickly became Chelsea's leader. In the journey since then, he has added Copa America 2024, then with the Stamford Bridge team won the Conference League.

Enzo's development has sparked interest in the story of his 15th birthday. At that time, Fernandez wrote two status lines on Facebook.

Enzo is a priceless asset for Chelsea. Photo: EFE

First, he talks about himself and his arduous journey, with adolescent eloquence, even literary.

“No one knows the sacrifices I have made, the mud I have had to walk through, the rain I have endured, the cold I have had to endure, the heat that suffocates me, the dirt that scratches me.

No one sees me as someone who, when I make a mistake, spends all day thinking about it. You can criticize me, but I won't listen, because I'm practicing."

Next, Enzo begged Messi not to leave the team (“La Pulga” announced his retirement from Argentina after losing to Chile in the Copa America final).

“How can we, the unknowns, convince you, who have never felt even 1% of your pressure in your life? These 40 million unreasonable people force you to do everything perfectly, even though none of them really understand you.

Do what you want, Lionel, but please, consider staying. Stay to have fun, because that's what they took away from you. Thank you and sorry."

Almost a decade on, Leo and Enzo are close friends (they jokingly refer to him as the captain's bodyguard). Fernandez has become an invaluable asset to Chelsea, who prioritized keeping him when Real Madrid came calling.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/enzo-fernandez-ve-si-messi-va-tai-san-vo-gia-cua-chelsea-2406166.html