Lionel Messi has hailed Enzo Fernandez as "spectacular" in what many Chelsea fans will consider a seal of approval after their club shelled out a British-record transfer fee of £105million to sign the midfield sensation.
Fernandez, 22, has joined the Blues six weeks after helping Argentina win the World Cup alongside Messi, picking up young player of the tournament to further boost his profile. In a well-documented transfer saga, Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly and club officials spent much of the January window attempting to thrash out a deal with Benfica, but finally gave in to Portuguese giants' lofty demands with just two hours of deadline day to go.
Usually a player who commands that kind of transfer fee needs no introduction, but the ex-River Plate prodigy was far from a familiar name to most Blues supporters before Boehly and co began their chaotic pursuit. Countless pundits have praised Fernandez's talents, but perhaps what Messi has had to say about him is most crucial assessment out there.
"I'm not surprised by Enzo," the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner declared during the World Cup. "I know him and I see him train every day. He deserves [the acclaim] because he's a spectacular player."
Fernandez began to garner praise in Qatar after his goal and assist as an impact substitute during Argentina's vital 2-0 victory over Mexico. Having lost their opening group game to Saudi Arabia, once again without the youngster in their starting XI, Lionel Scaloni's side greatly benefitted from the introduction of Fernandez and he made himself a starter for the remainder of the tournament.
The then-Benfica star played all 120 minutes of the thrilling final clash with France, as the two nations drew 3-3 after extra-time before Argentina clinched glory for the first since 1986 thanks to a tense penalty shootout triumph. Now back down to Earth, Fernandez's task will be to help Chelsea return to the top of club football under struggling manager Graham Potter.
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Visionhaus/Getty Images)With the 10th-placed Blues having spent weeks trying to haggle Benfica's asking price down before eventually bowing to Fernandez's seismic release clause, he's got plenty of pressure on his young shoulders to deliver the goods at Stamford Bridge. At least Boehly and fellow co-owner Behdad Eghbali are both backing their new no.5 to have a huge impact in West London.
"In Enzo we are signing a World Cup winner and one of the brightest talents in global football," they declared in a joint statement. "We are excited to add him to Graham's squad and we are sure he will form an important part of our team going forward. Enzo has demonstrated his ability at the very highest levels so we're looking forward to seeing what he will do in Chelsea blue!"
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Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)Fernandez himself added on the switch: "I am grateful to Chelsea and its ownership for doing everything they could to make me a part of this project. I'm happy and excited to join the Pride of London, to play in the best league in the world and to compete for the biggest trophies. I can’t wait to play in front of our fans and help my team-mates on and off the pitch."
There was evidently no love lost at his now former club, though, with Benfica boss Roger Schmidt dismissing the midfield dynamo's exit after it became clear that he had no desire to remain in Lisbon. "'Benfica is much bigger than a player," the German tactician affirmed. "We just need players who are happy to play for Benfica, who are passionate."