The Argentina midfielder has been Chelsea’s finest player at the Club World Cup, maintaining a pattern of previous months.
Enzo Fernández is no stranger to the big stage. The midfielder seized his opportunity at the 2022 World Cup, winning a starting spot for Argentina after coming off the bench to score a crucial goal against Mexico in the second group match.
Fernández appeared to have been with the team for years by the time Argentina defeated France on penalties in the final. He was voted the tournament’s best young player, and he was soon pursued by numerous major clubs. It wasn’t long before word spread throughout Portugal that Chelsea and Liverpool were interested in signing the former River Plate midfielder during the January 2023 transfer window.
Chelsea feared that Arsenal and Manchester City would make a move for Fernández in the summer. Unwilling to miss out on a vital target, it was decided to pay more than the going rate. Fernández’s signing for £106.7 million broke the British transfer record, raising expectations even higher. He strolled inside a troubled nightclub. Seasoned players wanted out, Graham Potter was on the verge of being fired, and Fernández was under a lot of pressure due to his salary, despite the fact that he had transferred to a new league halfway through the season and made only 25 starts for Benfica.
Mauricio Pochettino, who took over for Potter in the summer of 2023, frequently mentioned Fernández’s rapid development. He was sympathetic to his compatriot’s workload and encouraged him to improve his physique. Fernández displayed flashes of brilliance, but his collaboration with Moisés Caicedo frequently faltered. There were early speculations that Chelsea would be better without Fernández, who would miss the remainder of the 2023-24 season due to a hernia procedure.
However, Benfica will face a much tougher version of Fernández when they play Chelsea in the Club World Cup final 16 on Saturday. The 24-year-old is in great shape as he prepares to face his former side for the first time. Fernández emerged as a leader last season and has added a new dimension to his game, prospering when Enzo Maresca changed his role, pushing him forward and pressing him to score more.
Fernández appeared to be being pushed out as Roméo Lavia emerged as Caicedo’s deep-lying companion. There were speculations that the Argentine world champion was on the verge of becoming a very pricey reserve. Nobody questioned Maresca’s decision to bench Fernández against Liverpool last October and start without him in four consecutive league games. The statistics suggested that it was the correct decision. Fernández has seven goals since joining Chelsea, but his tackle success rate was 39%, his passing had dropped, and he was not creating many opportunities.
But he replied. Fernández, named after former Uruguayan great Enzo Francescoli, assisted Chelsea’s equaliser against Arsenal in early November. He returned to the starting lineup against Leicester, contributing a goal and an assist. “I am trying to convince Enzo that attacking midfielders have to arrive in the box,” Maresca told the press.
The Leicester game represented a shift. When Fernández came, it was assumed that he would serve as a conductor, a straight replacement for Jorginho. Maresca views things differently. If Fernández lacks the mobility to be a driving box-to-box midfielder and wastes time screening a defence, ask him to do less. Maintain his function and place him in the appropriate locations.
Fernández has developed into a box-crashing midfielder since moving up. In 2025, no Chelsea player has greater goal involvement than his 14. Fernández has been their finest player in the Club World Cup. In Chelsea’s first game, he came off the bench to score a late goal against Los Angeles FC. Fernández also shown his passing ability by setting up Liam Delap’s goal against Espérance. “He’s told me to run when he gets the ball,” Delap explained.
Fernández must now deliver more in the most important games. Eight of those 14 goals have come against weak Conference League opponents and in the Club World Cup. Fernández’s headed goal against Tottenham in April, as well as his brilliant finish to open the score against Liverpool last month, demonstrate his ability to flourish under pressure. They were significant goals in Chelsea’s bid for Champions League qualifying.
Fernández is in a lot better place than when he traveled to the United States for Chelsea’s pre-season tour last year. He was a disgraced figure back then, having been caught on camera participating in a racist chant following Argentina’s victory in the Copa América. He proved difficult to reintegrate. Maresca faced criticism for making Fernández captain on the season’s first weekend.
Wounds have healed, however. Fernández was forgiven after he apologized to his teammates. We hope that he has matured. Chelsea is a youthful team. Fernández is a competitor. He plays with a sneer. He does not back down from addressing opponents.
He’s stepped up in recent months. Much of the attention following Chelsea’s comeback from 1-0 down to defeat Real Betis in the Conference League final was on Cole Palmer’s second-half heroics, but it should not be forgotten that Fernández ghosted into the area to score the equalizer. More of this, and people will be talking about the next Frank Lampard.