Enzo Fernández and a drive to improve
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Before the World Cup we had a bit of a chat.
We discussed a few things we could work on together. Aspects he wanted to keep improving. And if there is one thing that defines Enzo Fernández, it is his desire to make progress every day.
Because no matter how far he has come, he always wants to be better. It’s nothing new – he’s been doing it ever since I first met him, when he was at the River Plate academy.
A very young Enzo Fernández, in a River Plate youth team Photo courtesy of Jonathan La Rosa
My first full-time role at the club’s academy was in the EETI department, which translates to Individualised Specific Technical Training. I worked alongside several people, including the academy’s director, Gabriel Rodríguez – one of those crucial figures in the development of great talent, thanks to everything he does for the kids on a daily basis.
As with any club, River Plate’s academy has a scouting structure with people responsible for spotting talent in different places and contexts. One day, one of the scouts, Pablo Esquivel, rang about a boy who was standing out in ‘Baby Fútbol’, a game similar to futsal, but with different rules. At River Plate, great emphasis has always been placed on this kind of recruitment and spotting talent from a very early age.
That boy was Enzo.
“At first he did not get to play very much. It was a difficult situation to manage”
He had tremendous technical ability, but above all he had a different temperament to the other boys. The academy contacted his parents to invite him to join, but initially they refused. “He’s too young,” they said.
And I think it was the right decision, because Enzo needed time to develop and his parents were aware of that. With talent like that you never miss an opportunity – sometimes, you simply have to know how to wait.
Later, as expected, Enzo officially joined the club and the process began of working with his parents, with Gabriel explaining the comprehensive programme River had in place for their son. Once a young player signs for the club, he begins to receive support from various departments – nutrition, psychology, education and sporting. It’s all part of the same development process.
Gabriel Rodríguez has been director of River Plate's academy for 17 years, across two spells
Parents play a vital role in the development of any talented kid, and Enzo’s parents fulfilled that role very well. They knew how to support him, respect timings, and step in when necessary. That played an important part in everything that followed.
Enzo settled in at River Plate, but at first he did not get to play very much, which was a difficult situation to manage. He hadn’t yet completed his developmental process and was physically behind the other boys. His parents approached Gabriel on a few occasions to ask why Enzo wasn’t playing as much. Gabriel explained the situation to them and that there would be times when he wouldn’t be selected to play.
When something like this happens, many parents decide to take their child out of the club and try their luck elsewhere. But River Plate were very clear about the position, that they saw great potential in Enzo and didn’t want him to leave.
“He was constantly adding new tools to his game”
It’s only natural for parents to have doubts when their child isn’t playing. Internally at River, however, there weren’t any about Enzo. When we were convinced that a player had the potential to excel at a professional level, we got to know the situation in depth and tried to support the family with the right words. You have to be patient. The time will come.
Enzo’s time duly came. He was constantly adding new tools to his game, and once he began to catch up physically with the others he started to stand out. That is when you can begin to understand the importance of all the work that goes on behind the development of a footballer.
River Plate have made a huge investment in youth football. We’re talking about nearly 100 people from different departments working to the same standards – something that, together with Gabriel Rodríguez, we worked to align.
Fernández scoring for River Plate at their Estadio Monumental in 2021 Marcelo Endelli/Getty Images
Luckily for us, Enzo carried on. He got through that difficult period – which wasn’t easy for a young lad – and it made him stronger. He then began to get some playing time under Jorge Gordillo, the coach of River Plate’s youth teams. Playing for the Under-16s in the Argentine seventh division, he started to earn his place and play more regularly. At first he struggled due to physical issues, but the club could see his potential and again knew they would have to wait for him to mature.
After several years of working as a coach of various age groups in the River Plate academy, then the reserve team, I took charge of the methodology side of things in 2025. My job consisted of standardising sporting criteria and ensuring that all departments worked towards the same objective in relation to the player as an individual. For me, it is very important that an organisation knows what sort of footballer it wants to develop, why, and for whom. Every club can have its own methods, and at River Plate we had clarity on ours.
“I began working with Enzo in a much more direct way when he was in the reserve team”
Investment is needed to develop that model, though. River Plate have been investing for many years, under various management teams I’ve seen at the club. I’m talking about nutrition, psychology, education, facilities, equipment, kit and training grounds.
From the age of seven, the youngsters at the club already have their own dedicated spaces, and as they grow older they get access to more resources. The youth teams work on their fitness in the gym and have their own grass pitches. More recently, due to rainfall and changing weather conditions, the club has also invested in artificial turf.
Marcelo Gallardo placed great emphasis on River Plate’s infrastructure from the moment he arrived as River Plate’s first-team head coach in 2014, and the club has continued to develop. The domestic and international titles they have won have also provided opportunities for further growth.
Before going into coaching, Jonathan La Rosa played professionally in Argentina, Switzerland and the United States
I began working with Enzo in a much more direct way when he was in the reserve team. There, at Marcelo’s request, we started a more targeted and individualised programme. That wasn’t exclusive to Enzo, because we worked in this way with several players – the aim being to minimise the margin for error with boys who moved up from the reserves to the first team.
We monitored Enzo’s progress, carried out an individual analysis of his situation and identified his strengths and the areas he needed to improve. We analysed his track record, observed his limitations and worked with him so that he could improve and make the best possible transition to the first team. And we tried to capitalise on his maturity and immense desire to improve.
At that time River Plate had some very high-calibre players in midfield, so if Enzo wanted to find his place, he had to be ready. And Marcelo wanted him to be.
“You have to develop them so they are not only ready to make their first-team debut, but also to establish themselves”
I was in constant communication with Marcelo and Gabriel about the progress and potential of our young talents. We had designed an institutional model – approved and agreed upon – based on principles we identified with the club and its history. Alongside that overall model we also did the individual work with those talents we felt had the potential to make it to the top flight.
Enzo was one of them. There were others afterwards, such as Franco Mastantuono, Claudio Echeverri and Joaquín Panichelli, who we identified as part of a flow of talent with the potential to become first-team players.
Marcelo Gallardo speaks with Fernández and his River Plate teammates in 2022
Marcelo knew the structure inside out. We had regular meetings with him and he was very much aligned with the project. We understood his way of thinking and he understood ours. That is why at the final stage he entrusted a significant part of the work to Gabriel Rodríguez and me.
It was always clear that we were not to rush things. There is no point in artificially accelerating a player’s development. Instead, you have to develop them so they are not only ready to make their first-team debut, but also to establish themselves at that level. When there is a shared vision, leadership and all areas are aligned, that process is much simpler, which is what we had at River Plate.
So before taking on a proper leading role in the first team, Enzo had a loan spell at Defensa y Justicia in 2020. It was a considered decision, because we understood he needed playing time in the top flight. He was already making a big difference in our reserves, but in River’s first team he had some very big names ahead of him – key players like Leo Ponzio and Enzo Pérez, footballers of international calibre.
“It was never simply about developing footballers”
Enzo was still very young and needed playing time. That is why, within the club, we discussed and assessed where he could get the playing time he needed, to continue his development in an environment with similarities to River’s style of play.
He then joined Benfica in 2022. Although his spell there was brief, it proved to be a wise move and a positive stage in his development – again, not rushing the process. It was a stepping stone before he joined Chelsea in the Premier League, which in my view is the most important league in the world.
I am really happy for him and his family, who are good people. He’s been through a lot and has gone on to achieve some very important things, but he hasn’t forgotten his roots. Deep down, he’s still Enzo, that kid who arrived at River Plate eager to take on the world.
Argentina’s Fernández, Lionel Messi and Emi Martínez pose with the Young Player, Golden Ball and Golden Glove awards, respectively, after winning the 2022 World Cup
He also maintains a very close relationship with the club and its roots. He made a substantial donation to River Plate’s Baby Fútbol team to mark Children’s Day, and always tries to be present. That says something about the holistic development we aimed for at River. For us, it was never simply about developing footballers. From a human perspective, it is also very important that they are good people and strive to become better every day.
Perhaps that is why, when I think of the young boy we met when he was so small, and compare him to the footballer he is today, there is something that hasn’t changed – his desire to improve.
I think he’ll do well at Manchester City. He’s at a good age, he’s very mature and retains that drive and mindset of wanting to be better every day. And ultimately, when you reach that level, that is what keeps you going and progressing.
Jonathan La Rosa