Enzo Fernandez Chelsea
BERGAMO, ITALY – DECEMBER 09, 2025:
Enzo Fernandez of Chelsea looks on
during the UEFA Champions League
Atalanta BC v Chelsea FC at Stadio di Bergamo.
Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernández is once again at the centre of transfer speculation, with recent reports linking him to Real Madrid as the Spanish club continue to monitor midfield options.
That makes the timing of his latest media appearance particularly interesting. The Argentine has now made a second public comment flirting with the idea of Madrid, even if indirectly.
“Again, I always tell my wife Val that if I had to choose a city to live in Europe, I would really like Madrid. It’s very similar to Buenos Aires, mostly because of the food.”
The comment comes amid growing links to Real Madrid and adds another layer to the ongoing speculation.
Fernández then gave a long and unusually open interview to Argentine radio show Nadie Dice Nada, where he spoke in detail about his life at Chelsea and his adaptation to England.
“I didn’t have a good time at all”
Despite arriving as a World Cup winner, Fernández admitted his early period at Chelsea was far more difficult than expected.
“The first year and a half, honestly, I didn’t have a good time at all. It was a very big change – the language, the culture, everything,” he said.
The midfielder explained that he arrived in England without even the most basic English knowledge, which made day-to-day life and tactical understanding extremely challenging.
“I didn’t speak English before. I didn’t even know numbers or colours, nothing. I learned everything there, day by day, in meetings and conversations.”
That lack of communication had a direct impact on his understanding of what was being asked of him on the pitch.
“Most of the time, I understood about 30% of what they were saying to me. It’s the reality. When I arrived, it was like that,” Fernández admitted.
He made it clear that things are very different now.
“Now I speak, I understand everything. And the truth is, it’s difficult – it’s really difficult.”
Life in London is not what people think
Fernández also spoke openly about his experience living in London, offering a far more grounded perspective than the usual Premier League narrative.
“It’s always cloudy, most days are like that. In winter, around three or three-thirty in the afternoon, it’s already dark.”
When asked directly whether that affects him, he did not try to hide it.
“Yes, it does, it really changes you. But because we have a very demanding routine, it helps – it passes.”
The Chelsea routine
That routine is central to his life in England.
“I wake up in the morning, sometimes I help Val with the kids to get them ready for school. Sometimes I go with her, sometimes I can’t because we have to be earlier at the club. Then I go to the club and train. I wake up at 7:30.”
When asked about training load, he detailed the intensity.
“It depends, but I’d say around three and a half hours, sometimes four. Yes, I enjoy it a lot. I like the daily routine, the mate in the dressing room.”
His day does not end there.
“Then I go back home, have lunch, take a nap, go pick up my son. And sometimes we train again in the afternoon with a coach – yes, many times during the week.”
Bringing Argentina into Chelsea
There were also lighter moments, including a glimpse into the dressing room dynamic at Chelsea.
“I’m getting some teammates into drinking mate. Cucurella… every day he asks me for ‘mate’. He always asks me to bring it. He told me he had tried it before, but didn’t really drink it until now.”
Fernández also made a clear comparison between his lifestyle in England and back in Argentina.
“In Argentina it’s impossible to eat light, but in London I take care of myself a lot. Here it’s barbecue, ice cream, everything.”
He also revealed a small detail about his routine abroad.
“When I come back from training at midday in London, with the time difference, we usually watch the programme while having lunch.”
Small details and superstitions
The interview also included more personal details, including one of his more unusual matchday habits.
“I do have rituals, yes. Not many, but there are some small things I always repeat. For example, in the afternoon before going to a match, I take a cold shower. And I wear the same boxer shorts for matches.”
He then added a detail that raised a few laughs.
“If we play three games in a week? I use the same boxers. That’s it… they’re already tired.”
What happens next?
With Real Madrid links continuing to circulate, Fernández’s words provide important context.
The midfielder described a player who went through a genuinely difficult adaptation period and has since come out the other side.
After struggling through what he calls a tough first 18 months – including barely understanding the language – he now appears fully settled both on and off the pitch.
That does not mean interest from Real Madrid will disappear. However, it does suggest that any future decision will come at a moment when Fernández is no longer adapting to Chelsea – but fully established within it.