Enzo Fernandez begged Messi to stay in 2016. Now he carries him
5 min readUpdated: Jul 17, 2026 11:45 AM IST Go back and watch Enzo Fernandez when the English boos drown out the Argentine national anthem in Atlanta. Notice the ironclad grip he has on the shoulders of Alexis MacAllister and Nahuel Molina. Not one Argentine singing, all of them screaming. Screaming back. Eleven against all. Themes of the Falklands, memories of every battle against England wrought in their minds. And there is Enzo, an able conductor, now a midfield general, guiding them through that hailstorm of emotion, and later, skill. He is neither Riquelme, nor is he Redondo. But in a minefield surrounded by Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, Declan Rice and Elliot Anderson, four astute English ball-winners, Enzo had only one request: pass me the ball. Enzo asked for the ball 75 times in a 90-minute war, the most of any Argentine, Messi included. ALSO READ | Lionel Messi is up against the country that made him in World Cup final At 25, this is his second World Cup campaign. He is arguably Argentina’s second-most …









