Who is Enzo Fernández? – Benfica star is more than a World Cup sensation

Biggest market value winner 

Enzo Fernández joined Benfica for just €12 million last summer from River Plate. Just a few months later, he won the World Cup with Argentina and has easily become one of the most in-demand players on the planet. After being involved in eight goals across 22 games for Benfica, Fernández quickly doubled his market value ahead of the World Cup. Now, as part of the World Cup market value update, Fernández was one of 53 players to receive an upgrade. Jumping from €35m to €55m, Fernández, together with Kylian Mbappé, is the biggest winner of the World Cup update and the player with the biggest market value increase in 2022. 

World Cup 2022 – All new market values at a glance” src=”https://tmssl.akamaized.net/images/foto/newsansicht/mvu-innews-World-cup-2022-1671757486-98962.png?lm=1671757490″ alt=”World Cup 2022 – All new market values at a glance” width=”503″ height=”137″/>

Going by his recent performances, however, the recent upgrade will be just a stepping-stone in the player’s development. Linked in the rumour mill to Manchester United, Real Madrid, Chelsea, and PSG, Fernández’s exit clause of €120m will make a move this winter unlikely. Already, the 21-year-old has priced himself out of the budget of some Premier League clubs. 

Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe, for example, admitted the day after the World Cup final that the best young player of the World Cup was too expensive for the Magpies. “I’m aware of him, and I know him, but I think the transfer fee is a bit lumpy,” Howe said in response to Newcastle United legend Alan Shearer pleading to his former club to sign Fernández. “From a recruitment perspective, I don’t think you ever just analyze the World Cup and sign a player off the back of those performances,” Howe added.

Fernández too expensive for Newcastle – “Complete midfielder”

When the decision comes to move on, Fernández will have the very best clubs on the planet fighting for his signature. The World Cup aside, which because of being a small sample size is seldom used by clubs as a recruitment tool, Fernández’s body of work at River Plate and Benfica has been astonishing. 

“In my opinion, he is a complete midfielder: aggressive in defense, with a good first pass and patience to move the ball around the pitch, he doesn’t rush on any decision, good short and long pass, good long shot, vision; he is a complete player,” Transfermarkt Area Manager Argentina Scott Christensen said. Although labeled a defensive midfielder, Christensen believes that his biggest strengths are further up the field. “I think he shows his best qualities when he plays in central midfield, where he has the freedom to move and be creative in the attacking third while also helping out with defensive midfield duties.” 

Adrian Sousa, an expert on Portuguese football and the host of Rabona TV on YouTube, echoes many of Christensen’s sentiments. “Enzo is a pure midfielder that can play in any position. He can play as a No.6, an No.8, or a No.10. He can even play wide as a mezzala if need be,” Sousa said. “He is well and truly comfortable in any position in the midfield. And not just comfortable, but he thrives in all of those positions due to his incredibly high football IQ. Even when playing deep and breaking up the play with his tackling, he is still effective on the ball thanks to his vision and ability to execute any pass that you can dream of and even the ones you haven’t thought of yet.”

According to Sousa, Fernández is best described as a box-to-box midfielder. “Disciplined enough to track back and contribute in defense, intelligent enough to pick his moments to get involved in the attack, and his ability to shoot from range rounds him out nicely,” said Sousa. Benfica boss Roger Schmidt likes to pair Fernández with fellow midfield talent Florentino. In that pairing, Florentino takes care of most of the dirty work, allowing Fernández the freedom to be creative while still being effective in defense as well. 

Fernández key for undefeated Benfica – More than a World Cup signing

That, however, does not mean that Fernández is without faults. Sousa points out that when the Argentine first joined Benfica, Fernández often lacked discipline, and his temperament often had him on the verge of receiving a second yellow card. But Schmidt has spent extra time working with Fernández to improve his discipline and strengthen other areas of his game as well. “The rest of his game has all equally improved,” Sousa said. “He’s solid in the tackle, his long balls are pinpoint accurate, his link-up play in tight areas is unbelievable, and his through-ball accuracy is second to none, often not even needing a touch before playing the pass.”

All of this has made Fernández an integral part of Schmidt’s high-tempo game that includes a dynamic top four. A student of the Red Bull type of football, Schmidt first came to prominence at Red Bull Salzburg before moving on to Bayer Leverkusen and then PSV Eindhoven. This season his Benfica side have played some of the best football in Europe and remain unbeaten after 28 competitive games played (24 wins and 4 draws). “With all of the runs that the front four make, when Enzo isn’t playing, you realize how important he is as far as bringing those attackers into the game,” Sousa said. “On top of that, given how dynamic he is in the midfield and how he thrives in any position, he can fill the void in the attacking midfielder spot, he can sit in front of the back line and clean up, and he has even played in wide positions depending how the match is progressing.” 

With all that in mind, what is Fernández’s future at Benfica? The Portuguese giants have a track record of finding players on the cheap, developing them, and selling them for a maximum price. The most recent examples of record transfers include João Félix (for €127.7m to Atlético Madrid), Darwin Núñez (for €80m to Liverpool), and Ruben Días (for €71.6m to Man City). Fernández’s release clause would place him second only to João Félix in that category. 

But would someone take a risk now and pay €120m to potentially fight off competition next summer? “Enzo is the real deal,” Sousa said while also strongly disagreeing with Howe’s assessment of the player. “He isn’t a risky World Cup signing; he’s truly one of the elite talents in midfield at the moment that clubs shouldn’t shy away from.”

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