Enzo Fernández

River Plate

Early career

Born in San Martín, Buenos Aires, to Raúl and Marta; Fernández has four brothers, Seba, Rodri, Maxi and Gonza. He was introduced to football at a young age, playing for a local side called Club La Recova, before joining River Plate. It is unclear exactly when Fernández joined River Plate; in November 2019, in an interview for the River Plate website, he claimed to have joined the academy in 2005, in September 2020, Argentine newspaper Clarín reported that he joined River in 2006, while in February 2023, he claimed he was six when he joined in an interview for the Chelsea website, which would have most likely been in 2007. He progressed through the youth ranks, and was promoted into the club's first-team by manager Marcelo Gallardo on 27 January 2019, in a 3–1 home loss to Patronato in the Primera División, despite remaining on the bench. He made his first-team debut on 4 March 2020, replacing Santiago Sosa in the 75th minute of a 3–0 loss to LDU Quito in the Copa Libertadores. In the weeks prior, he scored once, in the 6–1 thrashing of Libertad, in four games at the 2020 U-20 Copa Libertadores in Paraguay.

2020–21: Loan to Defensa y Justicia

Despite being sporadically used Fernández's manager advised him to leave the club on loan, in order to continue his development. In August, Fernández was loaned to fellow top-flight club Defensa y Justicia. He made his debut for the Halcón on 18 September by manager Hernán Crespo…

In July 2019, Fernández was selected by the Argentina U18s manager Esteban Solari to represent his nation at the 2019 COTIF Tournament in Spain. In November 2021, he was called up by Argentina national team manager Lionel Scaloni for two 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Brazil and Uruguay. He made his senior team debut on 24 September 2022, by coming on as a 64th-minute substitute for Leandro Paredes in a 3–0 win against Honduras.

2022 World Cup title

In November 2022, Fernández was named in Argentina's 26-man squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. After coming on for Guido Rodríguez in the 57th minute, on 26 November, Fernández scored his first international goal, closing Argentina's 2–0 group stage win against Mexico. In doing so, he became the second youngest player ever (only behind Lionel Messi) to score a World Cup goal for Argentina at 21 years and 313 days old. On 3 December, he became the youngest own goal scorer in the history of Argentina in the FIFA World Cup, in the round of sixteen match against Australia, when his attempt to block Craig Goodwin's shot deflected into his team's net as Argentina beat Australia 2–1. After defeating Croatia 3–0 in the semi-final, Fernández played in the final against France, where Argentina won the World Cup by a score of 4–2 on penalties after a 3–3 draw. He was named the best young player of the tournament.

2024 Copa América title

In June 2024, Fernández was called up to represent Argentina at the 2024 Copa…

A versatile midfielder, Fernández usually plays as a deep-lying playmaker, responsible for breaking up play, dictating the tempo, and recycling possession, but he is also a capable attacking-midfielder. Although he prefers operating centrally, he can be seen occupying the left half-space assisted by a defensive midfield partner, like his former Benfica team-mate, Florentino Luís. Fernández plays quick short passes, accurate long passes, and lobbed balls. He is combative in his midfield duels, protects spaces and his backline efficiently, and possesses good passing range and vision. He can dribble into dangerous territory or out of it. He thrives in receiving the ball in tight spaces and is press-resistant. He is adept at breaking defensive lines with his passes, playing through balls, as well as recycling possession in the midfield. Out of possession, Fernández looks to proactively disrupt opposition attack, anticipate and intercept passes.

Fernández is named after three-time Copa América winner and former River Plate player Enzo Francescoli, due to his father Raúl's fascination with the Uruguayan. He said that his favourite player is Lionel Messi. Fernández is married to fellow Argentine Valentina Cervantes, their daughter was born in 2020 and their son was born in 2023. In October 2024, Cervantes announced their separation on an Instagram story writing (translated from Spanish) "Enzo and I have decided to take some distance from each other today. But we will always be family, and we will support each other in everything, because there are two children involved who need a lot of love from us. I know the person Enzo is, what an excellent father he is, and what heart he has. And that is enough for me. Please don't try to create conflicts where there are none." Reportedly, Fernández initiated the separation in order to enjoy the single life he missed out on in his youth. The couple reconciled in 2025. Fernández is a Christian. He was baptized and has said, "I am a believer. God truly changed my life. He truly transformed me. My heart, honestly — He transformed it."

Driving infractions

In September 2024, Fernández was disqualified from driving for six months, receiving a 12-point penalty and being fined £3,020, following two driving offences committed in Wales in November and December 2023 by the driver of a Porsche Cayenne of which Fernández was registered as the owner. The car was caught by Dyfed-Powys…