Table of Contents
What religion is Enzo Fernández?
Enzo Fernández is an Argentine professional footballer who is a practicing Christian who adheres to the Roman Catholic faith. He has publicly attributed his personal and professional journey to his beliefs, stating that he relies on God rather than luck to guide his life and transform his heart.
Enzo Fernández plays as a central midfielder for Premier League club Chelsea and the Argentina national team. He is a product of the Club Atlético River Plate youth academy. He moved to European football by joining Portuguese side Benfica in 2022 before moving to Chelsea in January 2023 for a British-record fee of £106.8 million. He remains under contract at Stamford Bridge through June 2032 on a base salary of £180,000 per week.
Fernández’s personal achievements include winning the FIFA World Cup Young Player Award in 2022, being named the Primeira Liga Midfielder of the Month for three consecutive months, and finishing as the top assist provider during Chelsea’s title-winning 2025 FIFA Club World Cup campaign.
Internationally, he won the 2022 FIFA World Cup and the 2024 Copa América with Argentina. He subsequently helped his country reach the 2026 FIFA World Cup final, where Argentina finished as runners-up following a 1–0 extra-time defeat against Spain.
Early life
Enzo Jeremías Fernández was born on January 17, 2001, in San Martín, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. He grew up alongside his four brothers. His father had named him after Enzo Francescoli, a legendary former River midfielder. Fernández began playing football for local youth team Club La Recova before joining the River Plate academy at the age of five. Hs subsequently progressed through River’s academy system and was called up to the reserve squad early in 2019.
Club career
In 2020, Fernández made his senior debut for River Plate during a Copa Libertadores match against LDU Quito and was later loaned to Defensa y Justicia to gain regular first-team minutes. During his loan spell, he made 33 appearances across all competitions and helped the club win both the 2020 Copa Sudamericana and the 2021 Recopa Sudamericana.
Fernández returned to River Plate ahead of schedule in July 2021 and went straight into their starting XI. He scored his first senior goal for the club against Vélez Sarsfield that August, providing an assist in the same game. He helped River Plate secure the 2021 Liga Profesional title alongside the Trofeo de Campeones and later concluded his time with the club after making 53 total senior appearances.
Benfica
Fernández signed for Portuguese club Benfica in July 2022 for an initial fee of €10 million. He scored on his competitive debut with a half-volley during a 4–1 UEFA Champions League third qualifying round victory against Midtjylland. Prior to his departure for England in January 2023, he made 29 total appearances for the Lisbon side, scoring four goals and helping the team advance to the Champions League knockout stages as winners of a group containing Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain. Benfica went on to win the Primeira Liga title at the conclusion of that 2022–23 campaign.
Chelsea
In January 2023, Enzo Fernández was signed by Chelsea from Benfica for a British-record transfer fee of £106.8 million (€121 million).
Chelsea signed Fernández from Benfica on January 31, 2023, for a total fee of £106.8 million (€121 million). He wore the number five shirt upon joining the club before switching to number eight ahead of his first full season. His domestic goalscoring output rose incrementally across his first four campaigns. He recorded zero goals in his initial half-season, three during the 2023–24 season, and six the following year. This upward trajectory peaked with 10 goals in 36 appearances during the 2025–26 Premier League season. Fernández reached his 100th competitive appearance for Chelsea in April 2025 and celebrated his 100th Premier League match by scoring a goal against Bournemouth on December 30, 2025.
With Chelsea, Fernández won the UEFA Conference League during the 2024–25 campaign and subsequently secured the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup title.
International career
Fernández made his senior debut for Argentina in September 2022 and was selected for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. He scored his first international goal during the group stage in a 2–0 victory against Mexico. Argentina went on to win the tournament by defeating France on penalties, and Fernández was named the tournament’s Best Young Player. He subsequently helped Argentina win the 2024 Copa América title with a final victory over Luis Diaz‘s Colombia.
Fernández started regularly in midfield throughout the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, scoring against Bolivia and getting assists that helped Argentina qualify. At the World Cup, Fernández scored an 87th-minute equalizer against England in the semifinals before Lautaro Martínez scored a late winner to make it 2–1. In the final against Spain on July 19, Fernández was sent off late in normal time for a second yellow card after fouling Pau Cubarsí. Spain went on to win the match 1–0 in extra time with a goal from Ferran Torres.
Personal life
Fernández shares two children, a daughter, Olivia, and a son, Benjamín, with his partner Valentina Cervantes. The couple navigated a brief public separation before officially reconciling to continue raising their family together in London.
Away from his personal relationships, the midfielder has consistently noted international teammate Lionel Messi as his premier footballing inspiration and primary source of motivation throughout his development.
Outside of football, Fernández received a six-month driving disqualification from a UK magistrates’ court after failing to identify the driver of his Porsche Cayenne during a pair of traffic road violations in Wales. Because he was the registered owner of the vehicle, police requested disclosure information that went unanswered while he was away on international duty. The court subsequently issued a total fine of £3,020 in costs and penalties, alongside 12 penalty points that triggered an automatic driving ban.