22-year-old Enzo Fernandez has been having the time of his life ever since his Argentina NT debut in 2022. Months later he won the FIFA World Cup and was named as the tournament’s best young player. Subsequently, he joined Chelsea on a then-record $132 million deal. Now, Fernandez not-so-subtly stated that watching Lionel Messi play has inspired him and many other Argentines to dream of a soccer career. In a recent candid interaction, he laid bare ‘what Messi means to him‘.

Thanks to Diego Maradona and Pablo Aimar’s influence, a little boy from Rosario took the plunge to play soccer and is now in the galaxy of the game’s all-time greats. Now, the likes of Enzo Fernandez thank Lionel Messi for showing them what it means to be a soccer player.

‘Idol’ Lionel Messi is a ‘very special person’ for Enzo Fernandez

Enzo Fernandez recently faced the camera to play ‘What’s in the box’ with Amazon Prime Video Sport. At one point in the game, the Chelsea superstar rightly discovered a Lionel Messi mask was in the box. Seeing the youngster’s happiness, a host asked him, “What does Messi mean to you?”. “My idol,” Enzo Fernandez replied quickly. “A very special person. Apart from being everyone’s idol, he’s such a good person. I admire him a lot,” the 22-year-old added with a 10-year-old fan-boy effervescence.

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Soon, another question came the 2022 World Cup winner’s way. The host asked him if he considered Lionel Messi as the ‘best in history.’ “He is, for me,” said Fernandez, without hesitating a bit. While it is true that the 8x Ballon d’Or winner has played such a big role in inspiring the likes of Fernandez to lace up, the youngster once penned a crucial message to Lionel Messi to stop him from retiring.

Fernandez once requested Messi to ‘play for fun’ in a retirement U-turn request

Lionel Messi famously called it quits with Argentina in 2016 after a disheartening loss at the Copa America final. The veteran’s decision left Enzo Fernandez and millions of Argentine youngsters devastated. But Fernandez was not ready to sit with the sadness. He took to Facebook and wrote a touching message, pleading for his return to the Albiceleste camp.

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“Stay and have fun. Seeing you play with the light blue and white is the greatest pride in the world. Play for fun, because when you’re having fun, you have no idea how much fun we have,” the message read. He recalled this innocent exchange in an interview with Chelsea. The young man’s words did not go to waste. Lionel Messi returned. Later, the 22-year-old paired up with his idol and they together etched what is arguably the greatest chapter in Argentine sporting lore in 2022 at Qatar.

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