Portugal is the ultimate Litmus test for any up and coming talent. Premier League stars such as Ruben Dias, Bruno Fernandes and Darwin Nunez have all made the switch from Liga NOS in recent years, with the similarities between that league and the English top-flight seemingly benefitting those willing to make the move.
In terms of young talent, Portugal is one of the best in the world at creating and nurturing it and the latest man on the production line is Benfica midfielder Enzo Fernandez.
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Arriving this summer from River Plate in a deal worth €18 million, the 21-year-old has hit the ground running in Lisbon and then some. Taking up the famous number 13 shirt previously worn by Eusebio, the Argentine has taken the league by storm despite only netting once and assisting once since his arrival.
Forming a deadly double pivot alongside Florentino Luis, the duo work in perfect tandem with Fernandez bursting forward with plenty of runs into the final third, creating a large amount of chances in the process. He is currently operating at 1.9 chances created per game, around the same as what Bukayo Saka and Bernardo Silva are averaging so far this season, but from a deeper central position.
Fernandez has also registered the second-most passes in the top seven European leagues, averaging 100.3 passes per 90 minutes with an 89.9% success rate and an average of 1.7 key passes per game in the league. Want more stats? He’s second in terms of final third entries in Europe (17), only sitting behind Real Madrid’s Toni Kroos (22), with the youngster’s stats pointing towards him being a goal creating midfielder.
In Benfica’s recent fixture against Rio Ave, Fernandez’s stats went viral as he completed 77 passes from 77 attempts, whilst also creating three big chances, having seven key passes and grabbing an assist in just the first half.
100% pass accuracy
77 touches
7 key passes
7/7 long balls completed
3 big chances created
1 assist
Unreal. 🤯
Playing alongside Luis, who averages 6.5 tackles and interceptions per 90 minutes, is the perfect partnership for both players to learn and grow into world beaters. The question is, when the inevitable happens, where does Enzo Fernandez go?
There are some obvious shouts. If Bernardo Silva opts to leave Manchester, then he can go and rekindle his relationship with Julian Alvarez at Man City, his former River Plate teammate.
Barcelona are reportedly keeping tabs on the midfielder and are very impressed, however their current young duo, Gavi and Pedri, are keeping the likes of Frenkie de Jong out of the team, so maybe their efforts are better placed elsewhere.
Liverpool’s midfield woes are well-documented and Fernandez partnered with an elite defensive midfielder like Fabinho could garnish great results. There’s a similar story at Manchester United with Casemiro, although Erik ten Hag seems happy enough with Christian Eriksen.
The interest will continue to rise with the recently-capped Argentina international. Should he go to the World Cup, expect that price tag to keep rising, especially with Argentina playing their final international tournament with Lionel Messi.
In the meantime, Benfica have a tough test tonight in the Champions League on Tuesday night, facing the star-studded PSG, but if they were to get a result, don’t be surprised to see Enzo Fernandez heavily involved.
