For most of the past year, Julian Alvarez has been the only player river plated to be talked about, and that's understandable. The striker burst out during the match to lead the team to the 2021 A-League title and win millions of pounds for himself in the process to move to Manchester City. But in fact, Alvarez is not the only gem that riverbed has. Starting the 2022 season, 21-year-old midfielder Enzo Fernandez is even more impressive than the Manchester City star. If he stays in shape, an equally lucrative transfer certainly won't make people wait too long.
Born in the suburb of San Martin north of Buenos Aires, Fernandez spent almost all of his short career with River Plate. He was only four years old when he first signed for the club and, apart from a one-year loan at Defensa y Justicia, he has been steadily promoted from their junior team to the first team. Fernandez explained to the media: "When Marcelo [River Plate coach] told me everything about Defensa, I accepted it very well because it was an opportunity to show myself, get some games, compete with top players. I was lucky enough to be mentored by two great coaches like Crespo and Sebastian Beccache, to share a dressing room with great players and better people, and to win two titles that will go down in history. I've always been the same player, but my time at Defensa has helped me grow a lot, not just as a player, but as a person. I grew up a lot and it prepared me to go back to River Plate and adapt to the rhythm of the team in a different way. ”
After shocking Liberator champions Palmeiras in a South American Super Cup last June, de Finsa returned to River Plate and won another title on the way, ready to show his talent under Marcelo Gallado. He has barely left the starting line-up across the river since Fernandez's return, adding another trophy at the end of 2021 when the team won the league title for the first time in seven years. Now he is at the heart of the squad, forming the team's midfield double fulcrum with veteran Enzo Perez, one of the most powerful attacking combinations in South America. Perez, a member of Argentina's world cups in 2014 and 2018, was at the front of the defence and was responsible for regaining possession and sweeping the midfield, while Fernandez did almost everything else. Fernandez is a B-to-B midfielder in the pure sense of the word. In Sunday's 2-1 win over Defensa, he opened the scoring against his old club and hit the crossbar with a beautiful long-range shot.
He also led the team in almost every other stats, showing the comprehensiveness of his game: 7 of 10 one-on-one wins, 46 passes at the opponent's half, 75% successful dribbling and five shots on goal, even surpassing Alvarez. Fernandez's influence is reportedly so great that Real Madrid are closely watching his performance. "I'm happy because it means I'm doing the right thing, but my mind is here in River Plate," he told the media when asked about the transfer contact. Meanwhile, Definsa president Diego Lemmer was not surprised by the rumors, telling the media: "When we brought him to Definsa, we told him he was going to be a real Madrid player. I hope he can get into Europe, he has enough talent. "The Spanish giants are not Fernandez's only suitors. Italy's Inter, AC Milan and Real Madrid's La Liga rival Sevilla have also been linked in recent weeks; Manchester City are also among them, and the prospects for him and Alvarez in the Premier League are very attractive.
For now, Fernandez's priorities are clear. Continue to serve as the heart of River Plate in the domestic league and the Copa Libertadores. He will also continue to be watched by Argentina coach Scaloni, who put him on the World Cup qualifier list in November but refused to give him the chance to make his debut. Maybe it may be a little too early for the young midfielder to play for the country now, but if his performances can be sustained, Scaloni may consider bringing him to Qatar as a substitute for the rotation, as De Paul is still the first choice for the same position, while Enzo is cut from a similar mold and also gets irrepressible energy, which makes such a big difference in the team's tactics. It is absolutely certain that in the coming months we will hear more from Fernandez, and we should not be surprised if he had followed Alvarez to the top european teams earlier.