Ten things to know about new Man City signing Enzo Fernández

Manchester City have completed the signing of Argentine midfielder Enzo Fernández, and there is plenty about the 2022 World Cup winner that fans may not yet know.

Fernández's forename is a direct tribute to Uruguayan football legend Enzo Francescoli, a three-time Copa America winner who starred at both the 1986 and 1990 World Cups and was a hero to the Fernández family.

Hard work was central to Fernández's upbringing. His father Raul was a painter and his mother Martha a cleaner, and Enzo worked menial jobs alongside his elder siblings to help the family financially. At one point he considered abandoning football entirely, but his parents urged him to continue.

Fernández came through the academy at Argentine powerhouse River Plate, alongside the likes of Julián Álvarez and Gonzalo Montiel, making 51 first-team appearances and scoring 12 goals from deep midfield.

A loan spell at Defensa y Justicia across 2020 and 2021 proved transformative. He helped the Buenos Aires-based club win both the Copa Sudamericana and Recopa Sudamericana, raising his profile significantly.

At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Fernández played all seven matches as Argentina were crowned world champions for a third time. He was named the tournament's Best Young Player — the first Argentine and only second South American to receive the award. Two years later he was part of the squad that retained the Copa America.

Fernández has won major honours with every club he has represented. His trophy haul includes the Copa Sudamericana and Recopa Sudamericana with Defensa y Justicia; the Argentine Primera División and Trofeo de Campeones with River Plate; the Primeira Liga with Benfica; the FIFA Club World Cup and UEFA Conference League with Chelsea; and the FIFA World Cup and Copa America with Argentina.

In Argentina, Fernández is known as 'El Musico' — The Musician — a nickname bestowed by fans and media alike in recognition of his precise passing, vision and rhythm in midfield.

Although primarily a creative central midfielder, Fernández is also capable of operating as a defensive midfielder, a deep-lying playmaker or in a more advanced role.

On joining Benfica from River Plate in the summer of 2022, Fernández wore the number 13 shirt previously associated with Portuguese legend Eusebio. Despite spending only half a season at the Estádio da Luz before his January 2023 move to Chelsea, he scored four goals in 29 appearances and helped Benfica claim a record 38th Primeira Liga title.

His former Argentina teammate Lionel Messi, who announced his international retirement earlier this week, has been among those to praise the midfielder publicly. "I'm not surprised by Enzo. I know him and have seen him train every day," the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner said. "He deserves [the acclaim] because he's a spectacular player. He's so good on the ball and so secure in possession."