Enzo Fernandez: the midfielder your team needs?

River Plate is a breeding ground for talented footballers. For many years, they have produced some of the world's top talent: the likes of Pablo Aimar, Javier Mascherano, Radamel Falcao, Gonzalo Higuain, Javier Mascherano all starting their stellar careers with Los Millonarios.  

In recent times, the Argentine giants have let go two of the most talented players from their academy: Julian Alvarez to Man City and Enzo Fernández to Benfica. 

In this Playmaker player profile we will focus on the latter, who could well be the player your club needs...even if they don't know it yet!

The Lowdown: Named after River Plate legend Enzo Francescoli, Enzo Fernández's father was a massive fan of the former Uruguayan legend, who is revered for his exploits with the Argentine club back in the 1980s. 

�Getty / Marcelo Endelli

Intent on emulating his namesake, Fernandez progressed rapidly through River Plate's ranks and made his senior debut days before the Covid pandemic, which then promptly slowed his integration into the first team.

Initially surplus to requirements at River, the midfielder went on loan to Defensa y Justicia and made an immediate impact, as he played a key role in his loan club's first-ever South American title, the Copa Sudamericana (which is roughly equivalent to the Europa League).

He remained at Defensa for the first half of 2021 and won another title, this time the Recopa Sudamericana (similar to the Super Cup) which saw them beat Copa Libertadores winners Palmeiras in a two-legged final.

After his eye-catching loan, Fernandez returned to River In July and slowly forced his way into Marcelo Gallardo's starting line-up, the dynamic midfielder helping his team to win the Argentinian league in that year.

By 2022, the 21-year-old was already an established player in the team and following teammate Julian Alvarez's move to Manchester City, Argentinian fans had no doubt that Enzo would soon be packing his bags and heading for Europe.

First in the queue? Benfica! The Eagles knew a good thing when they saw one and the Primeira Liga giants swooped to sign the player for an initial €10 million (£8.9m), with an additional €8 million (£7.1m) included in the deal by way of add-ons.

�SL Benfica

'Enzo' saw the Portuguese giants as a perfect stepping stone in his career, as the Eagles are well known for detecting and developing young talent and then cashing in as they did most recently when Darwin Nuñez joined Liverpool for £85 million in the summer. 

Wearing the peculiar number 13 shirt, that he had already worn with distinction at River Plate, Fernandez has started like a steam train at Benfica this season - Eagles fans with a real affection for incumbents of the '13' jersey that club legend Eusébio wore during his fantastic display against England at the 1966 World Cup.

Fernandez has taken the Portuguese top flight by storm and already established himself as an indispensable part of Roger Schmidt's starting XI, three goals in his first three games coupled with some dazzling displays earning him the Primeira Liga Midfielder of the Month award for August. It's early days, but it's becoming difficult to imagine Benfica's midfield without the uber-talented Argentinian prodigy.

🎥 O golo de Enzo (3-0)!

#EuAmoOBenfica #UCL #SLBFCM pic.twitter.com/JsOS4U6mul

— SL Benfica (@SLBenfica) August 2, 2022

Fernandez' evolution at Benfica has been helped by the fact that the Eagles are in a very good place at the moment. Off to a perfect start (13 games, 13 wins!), with an obvious highlight being their 2-1 away win at Juventus in the Champions League, there is a feel good factor in the red half of Lisbon - and with PSG coming to town next Wednesday, Fernandez will be keen to show the world, as well as compatriot Lionel Messi, just how good he is. 

A host of attributes

Based on his performances this season, Benfica have landed an absolute gem and something of a rare commodity: a midfielder who can play as a 6, an 8 and even as a 10. For the Eagles this season, he has been the epitome of a box-to-box midfield dynamo with fantastic energy in addition to his obvious technical quality. Add in a healthy dose of South American tenacity and you have a young player who looks to be a special talent.

Best described as a number eight during his time at River Plate, where he played in a midfield three in a more attacking role, Fernandez has showcased his versatility by slotting seamlessly into a midfield two at Benfica where he is required to do a bit of everything.

In attacking situations, Fernandez has a fantastic appreciation of space and a tremendous passing range, and he often plays one-twos in tight situations before finding teammates 'between the lines', varying the tempo and range of his passing. 

A quick look back at his stats at River Plate underlines that he has the quality and imagination to cause huge problems in offensive situations: Fernandez recording 10 goals and seven assists in just 28 games across all competitions for the Buenos Aires side. 

Will this 'laser' from Enzo Fernandez @RiverPlate make the #Puskas list?pic.twitter.com/6cMgwTXVDQ

— FIFA.com (@FIFAcom) May 12, 2022

In Lisbon, Benfica's new head coach Schmidt has given Enzo a much deeper role that requires him to literally patrol box-to-box. With obvious game intelligence, Fernandez is quick to cover his team-mates, strong in the tackle, physically robust and able to maintain a high level of intensity throughout 90 minutes. 

Fernandez has thrived in his new role and welcomed the responsibility. One particular attribute that has shone through this season is Fernandez' ability to create passing lanes for his centre-backs - offering them options and showing a huge capacity to start attacking phases of play from deep. 

via GIPHY

Possession is key for Benfica's Schmidt and Fernandez has placed himself firmly at the heart of everything. His one-touch passing allows him to circulate the ball at a fast tempo, which is absolutely crucial at elite level where sides are constantly seeking to evade their opposition's press. 

via GIPHY

It was a surprise to nobody when Fernandez's performances this season earned him an international call-up for Argentina's recent friendly games, and he showed enough in his first two games to suggest he will win many more.

�@Argentina

After his first game for La Albiceleste, where Lionel Scaloni's men beat Honduras 3-0, captain Messi even commented on Fernandez' transition to the international stage - the Argentine legend stating that Enzo "has a great personality, good feet and is very intelligent".

Given the expanded World Cup squad sizes granted to nations competing, there seems almost no chance that Fernandez - if fit - will feature at the World Cup later this year. 

📊 | @OptaJavier

76 - Enzo Fernández 🇦🇷 reached a 97% pass effectiveness rate during the two friendlies he played against Argentina: he only missed two passes out of 76 attempts.

37/37 vs. Honduras 🇭🇳
37/39 vs. Jamaican 🇯🇲

Delivery 🎩 pic.twitter.com/oFb1S7gWtQ

— BD Albiceleste 🇧🇩💙🇦🇷 (@bd_albiceleste) September 28, 2022

Linked With: Before his move to Benfica, Fernandez was linked to Paris SG, AC Milan, Liverpool and Wolves among others. 

Jurgen Klopp's Reds reportedly remain keen on him, particularly in light of their midfield injury crisis so far this season. That said, Benfica have acted swiftly to insert a whopping €120m (£104.5m) release clause in the midfielder's contract, so any club wishing to prise Fernandez away from the Eagles is going to have to pay through the nose. 

Playmaker Potential Score: 9.5/10. When a player of this calibre comes along, it's impossible not to notice. Elite midfielders who can tie teams together in the middle of the park, combining defensive nous and attacking threat, are a rarity and Fernandez can only improve as he gains experience. 

Despite only playing 13 games this season (all of which, as mentioned, have been won!), many Benfica fans already consider Fernandez one of the best signings in the club's history - which is no small achievement given the regard that the likes of Jonas and Pablo Aimar are held in. 

Unfortunately for Benfiquistas, if 'Enzo' continues to perform as he is, he is very likely to be playing elsewhere next season. 

Profile

Name: Enzo Jeremías Fernández
Position: Central midfielder
Date of Birth: 17 January 2001
Team and Number: Benfica, #13
Nationality/Eligibility: Argentinian/Argentina