Enzo Fernández at Chelsea: from his absence in the World Cup album to being the most expensive Argentinian in history and reaching the Premier League in a year

The closure of the transfer market in Europe seems more and more like a show, something similar to what happens with the NBA Draft. The different series that streaming platforms show and which clubs follow during a season have a lot to do with it. An exceptional chapter is always the last day of the transfer book. There are anxieties, negotiations, a thousand phone calls, joys and sadness. Y Enzo Jeremias Fernándezthe boy who left River, the midfielder who entered Qatar through the back door, the fundamental footballer for Lionel Scaloni, the player chosen as the best Under 23 in the World Cup, was the protagonist of a new closure: Finally, Chelsea And Benfica They have reached an agreement and he will play in the Premier League in exchange for 121 million euros.

Some surprising data: the amount paid by Fernández is the highest in history for an Argentine player. Also the highest in the Premier League. And much more: he becomes the sixth most expensive in history, but the best midfielder, because after all they are all offensive.

Fernández’s football career maintains a vertigo rarely seen. Lui made his debut at River on March 4, 2020 (3-0 defeat against Liga de Quito in Ecuador for the Copa Libertadores); days before the coronavirus pandemic broke out in the country, he went on loan to Defense and Justice to earn footage, returned to Slumdog Millionaire and shone; he was sold to Portugal’s Benfica for 18 million euros; He made his debut for Argentina months before the World Cup; Almost at the last moment, he was included in Scaloni’s list and went from substitute to undisputed starter. All in less than 3 years. Now, his latest milestone is his move to Chelsea for a record fee and a long contract signed until June 2031; that is, more than 8 years (the same ones that Marcelo Gallardo was in River, for example).

Fernández is just 22 years old: he was born on 17 January 2001. And they have already paid 121 million euros for him, when he accumulates only 124 professional games (114 at club level and 10 with the national team) and 17 goals. One could say that a Fernández match costs almost a million euros.

They all win with Enzo leaving for England. At Chelsea he remains one of the best midfielders in the world, with a homeless projection. The footballer will sign a juicy contract for more than 8 seasons. Benfica bought him for 18 million euros, used him for just five months (he made his debut on 23 September 2022) and sold him for 121. And River, who had retained 25 percent of the midfielder’s fee, will cash in more than 30 million.

The number is surprising, of course, because Enzo (!It wasn’t in the Qatar sticker album!) happens to be the most expensive midfielder in football history. And you know: it’s not common to pay a similar amount for a midfielder who can play inside or even stop. His breakthrough at the World Cup in Qatar is decisive for his evaluation, beyond the fact that he had already shown his hierarchies in the Champions League.

According to transfer site Transfermarkt, Paris Saint Germain paid 222 million euros for Neymar in 2017 and the same club paid 180 million euros for Kylian Mbappé in 2018. The podium is completed by Frenchman Ousmane Dembelé, who left the Borussia Dortmund for Barcelona in exchange for 140 million. The Catalan team has deposited 135 million to Liverpool for the Brazilian Coutinho and in fifth place on the list appears the Portuguese Joao Félix, for which Atlético de Madrid paid 127 million, precisely to Benfica.

And Fernández is the best among the Argentines. A question arises in the game mode: How much would Diego Armando Maradona and Lionel Messi earn if they were currently living what was the best gift of their careers? No one has ever paid as much for an Argentinian as Chelsea with the one born in San Martín. The midfielder dethroned Gonzalo Pipa Higuaín, who left Napoli for Juventus in 2016 for €90m. Second and third place corresponded to Ángel Di María: from Real Madrid to Manchester for 75 million and from England to PSG for 63 Now, the fifth pass was for Lisandro Martínez, another member of Scaleneta, for whom Manchester United paid 57 million.

Fernández’s arrival at Chelsea will put the magnifying glass on the English cast, where he comes to be a genius and a figure following Jorginho’s departure to Arsenal. In May last year, the American consortium led by Todd Boehly, co-owner of the LA Dodgers baseball team, bought the club from the Russian eccentric Roman Abramovich. Since then, the new owners have spent €610m this season. In addition to Fernández, he paid 80 million for defender Wesley Fofana, 70 for the Ukrainian Mudryk, 65 for the Spanish winger Cucurella, 56 for the forward Sterling and 38 for the Cameroonian Kulibaly, among others, in addition to 11 million for the loan of Joao Felix. Will there be a financial warning for the team that is tenth in the Premier League?

Unaware of all the numbers will be Enzo Fernández, who has already traveled to England to join his new club. He will try to hurry on the coach’s orders Graham Potter debut and continue to write history.