Enzo Fernández Biography seems to be an interesting one. Very few can boast of being World Cup winners and even fewer can boast of being World Cup winners at 21 years of age. Enzo Fernández is one such member of this exclusive group of footballing elites. Though still 22 at the time of writing this, it still feels that he has been mastering the midfield for ages. From breaking out at River Plate to a market-breaker transfer to Chelsea, his journey to the creme de la creme has been nothing short of breathtaking.
However, it happens to be the case that many of us know very little about the lad’s incredible stories prior to his name being popular in the River Plate newspapers. In this memoir, we will be covering his early life and rise to the top and also shed light on intriguing details pertinent to his personal life such as his family, religion, girlfriend, tattoos, and so on.
Enzo Fernández Biography
Family
He is one of the five sons born to Raúl and Marta Fernández. His other brothers go by the names Sebastian, Maxi, Rodrigo, and Gonzalo.
Pictured below are his loving parents:
Marital Status
He is married to Valentina Cervantes with whom he has two children, a daughter named Olivia born in 2020, and a son named Benjamin born in 2023. His wife was reportedly a teacher who quit her job just to support her partner and give him company wherever he traveled. The two lovebirds have been together for nearly five years at the time of writing this.
Religion
Enzo is a devout Christian. He often points to the sky following a triumph and has a cross with wings on the rear end of his neck as an indicator of his devotion to Christ.
Enzo Fernández Childhood
Born in the heart of San Martin in Argentina, Enzo Fernández comes from a modest household where his father worked as a painter and his mother would offer house-cleaning services. He used to live in the ‘La Recova’ neighborhood and despite the recurring financial disturbances, his love for football never subsided. On the contrary, it gained even more vigor. He and his brothers always found a place to play football and while they enjoyed playing other sports and games as well, it was football that occupied the cornerstone of his heart.
His great zeal for football had him join Club La Recova, a local football school. Over there, he caught the attention of Pablo Esquivel, a scouting member of River Plate who was coaching another local team that Enzo was playing against. He recalls his first incident in the following quote:
I was coaching a club in Villa Ballester and we faced Fernandez’s team. He was already very intelligent despite his youth. The next day I told the [River] youth coaches that there was a 2001-born player from San Martín who was playing amazingly well and they told me to go look for him. So, I started to investigate where he lived, found the house and introduced myself to his parents. I spoke with Raul and Marta, his parents, who are phenomenal. At that time they told me that they preferred to wait because he was very young and I told them that it was better for him to make the move from that moment on because it took a while to adapt to the big pitch. After so many twists and turns we were able to convince the parents and we took him to the club.
The Beginning of Something Extraordinary
After spending a year with La Recova, the young Gordo joined River Plate’s youth ranks in 2007. His incredible understanding and awareness of the game always stood out which often found him in matches against kids older than him. As he progressed through the youth ranks, it became evident that this kid was among the magnum opus of River Plate’s youth products alongside the likes of Gonzalo Higuain, Radamel Falcao, and Enzo Perez. Captaining his team to glory in the youth competitions, he was promoted to the first team by Marcelo Gallardo in 2019.
He made his first team debut a year later in March 2020 and seeing that he won’t be given the desired playtime that he deserves, his gaffer at the time recommended a loan move. Henceforth he was loaned to Defensa y Justicia where he was used as a squad rotation player but later incorporated himself into the regular starting XI thanks to his performances. He started in the Copa Sudamericana Final of 2020 and went on to even win it, tasting the first piece of silverware in his nascent career.
For The History Books
As he returned to River Plate, he had become an immediate starter for Gallardo’s side, bagging an impressive 8 goals and 18 assists in his first season back. In the meanwhile, he was on the radar of several top clubs in Europe but it was Benfica who bought him for €18m which also included 75% of his economic rights. He left the Benfica fans gasping with his first goal, that being a half-volley.
However, the culmination of 2022 is what got Enzo etched permanently into the books of history as he won the World Cup with Argentina while being named the best young player of the tournament. The feeling that he wouldn’t be staying in Lisbon for too long became more and more clear as he was linked with the elite clubs in Europe including PSG, Chelsea and especially Manchester United who were in need of reinforcements in the midfield. However, it was Chelsea who won the race by splashing €126m for the World Cup winner – a record fee.
Style of Play
Enzo is a deep-lying playmaker who can be lethal when it comes to making quick short passes to build the play up. On the defensive side of things, his shrewdness when it comes to intercepting passes remains unmatched and he is also very strong in duels. His style of play has a slight resemblance with Paul Pogba’s.
Lifestyle and Personality
He is introverted and prefers the company of friends and family members. At Chelsea, he has got on very good terms with South American compatriots Moises Caicedo and Thiago Silva whom he considers to be his brothers.
Despite his ascent to the pinnacle of football, he stays aloof from an excessive show of pomp and luxury, simplicity is where his preference lies. Furthermore, Enzo likes to watch movies as a recreational activity. You can be very good friends with him if this interest of his also aligns with yours.
Tattoos
His body is a rich tapestry of several tattoos. The most notable of his plethora of tattoos is the one with a lion on the back. According to him, it is a symbol of strength, fearlessness, and bravery.
Some Intriguing Facts about Enzo Fernández
- His favorite cuisine is Asado
- Enzo’s favorite movie is The Resurrection Specialist
- Benfica’s most expensive sale and Chelsea’s most expensive purchase
- Named after Enzo Francescoli, the Uruguayan football legend
- The only player from Argentina to ever win the FIFA Young Player award
