Argentina’s Enzo Fernandez won the ‘Young Player’ award of the FIFA World Cup 2022 as his country beat France 4-2 on penalties in the final to lift the trophy.
The 21-year-old Fernandez, a central midfielder who plays for Portuguese club Benfica, scored his maiden goal for the national side against Mexico in Argentina’s second group match.
He became the youngest player to score a World Cup goal for Argentina since Messi in 2006.
He assisted Julian Alvarez’s goal in the match against Poland, which Argentina won 2-0 and secured qualification to the knockout round.
Fernandez mainly played the role of an anchor in midfield for Scaloni’s team. His presence upgraded Argentina’s transition play from defence to attack. His vision and game-reading abilities also proved to be useful for his nation in this World Cup.
Fernandez made his international debut for Argentina in September 2022 as a substitute in a 3-0 win against Honduras.
He is an academy graduate of the Argentine club River Plate. He made his debut for the senior side in 2019 before playing two seasons on loan for Defensa y Justicia, another Argentine club. With Defensa y Justicia, Fernandez won Copa Sudamericana and Recopa Sudamericana, before returning to River Plate last year in a title-winning campaign.
In 2022, he joined Benfica where he played 13 matches and scored one goal.
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