Background and career
Enzo Jeremías Fernández (born 17 January 2001) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Premier League club Manchester City and the Argentina national team.
As an academy graduate of River Plate, Fernández made his first-team debut for the club in 2019, before spending two seasons on loan with Defensa y Justicia. There, he won the Copa Sudamericana and Recopa Sudamericana, and returned to River Plate in 2021. He joined Benfica in the summer of 2022. Having played only six months for them, he joined Chelsea in January 2023 for a British-record transfer fee worth €121 million (£106.8 million). In September 2026, Fernández joined Manchester City for £125 million, equalling the existing British transfer fee record. The move made Fernández the first player to be transferred for more than £100 million on two separate occasions.
An Argentine international, Fernández previously represented his country at under-18 level before making his senior international debut. He represented Argentina at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, playing an important role in helping his country win their third title, while also winning the tournament's Young Player Award. He was also part of the team that won the 2024 Copa América. Fernández was a key player in Argentina's campaign to reach the 2026 FIFA World Cup final, where he received a red card.
Born in San Martín, Buenos Aires, to Raúl and Marta; Fernández has four brothers, Seba, Rodri, Maxi and Gonza. He was introduced to football at a young age, playing for a local side called Club La Recova, before joining River Plate. It is unclear exactly when Fernández joined River Plate; in November 2019, in an interview for the River Plate website, he claimed to have joined the academy in 2005, in September 2020, Argentine newspaper Clarín reported that he joined River in 2006, while in February 2023, he claimed he was six when he joined in an interview for the Chelsea website, which would have most likely been in 2007.
Fernández progressed through the youth ranks, and was promoted into the club's first-team by manager Marcelo Gallardo on 27 January 2019, in a 3–1 home loss to Patronato in the Primera División, despite remaining on the bench. He made his first-team debut on 4 March 2020, replacing Santiago Sosa in the 75th minute of a 3–0 loss to LDU Quito in the Copa Libertadores. In the weeks prior, he scored once, in the 6–1 thrashing of Libertad, in four games at the 2020 U-20 Copa Libertadores in Paraguay.
How Enzo Fernández makes money
Manchester City On 1 September 2026, Enzo Fernández completed a move to Manchester City on transfer deadline day, joining the club for a reported British-record-equalling £125 million fee and signing a contract through 2031.
