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Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) superstar Lionel Messi seems to have given his approval to Enzo Fernandez's headline-grabbing deadline-day transfer to Chelsea.
The Argentine midfielder left SL Benfica to join the Blues on the final day of the January transfer window for a British-record fee of £106.8 million. He had joined the Eagles from River Plate for an initial fee of £8.8 million just last summer.
But his stocks have multiplied at a startling rate since then. The 21-year-old featured in all seven of Argentina's 2022 FIFA World Cup games as they lifted the trophy for the third time in their history.
He even managed to get on the scoresheet, doing so in a 2-0 win against Mexico - a game that Lionel Messi has labeled his hardest game in Qatar. After the game, the PSG playmaker also lauded Fernandez and said he was a "very important player" for La Albiceleste.
The two seem to share a close relationship on and off the pitch, which wouldn't be a surprise after the unforgettable campaign they shared in Qatar. Lionel Messi has now seemingly given his seal of approval for Fernandez's move to SW6.
The former Barcelona forward liked his compatriot's Instagram post where the midfielder is holding a Chelsea jersey with his name and kit number. The post can be viewed in a tweet shared by Twitter user @jakeheasman below:
Fernandez's move capped off a stupefying winter transfer window for Chelsea, where they spent £288 million on incomings. Jorginho's deadline day move to Arsenal freed up space in the center of the park for the Blues, which Fernandez filled instantaneously.
Before his move to Stamford Bridge, he registered four goals and seven assists in 29 games across competitions for Benfica this term.
Lionel Messi fires PSG to a much-needed win against Montpellier
By Lionel Messi's incredibly high standards, a run of four league games with just one goal and no assists was enough to sound the alarm bells.
PSG themselves managed to win just one of their last four Ligue 1 games before they faced Montpellier away from home on February 1. Neymar Jr. missed the game due to an injury, but Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe started up front.
The Argentine icon thought he had scored in the 34th minute but the goal was ruled out for offside. Les Parisiens opened the scoring through Fabian Ruiz 10 minutes into the second half before Messi scored in the 72nd minute.
16-year-old Warren Zaire-Emery's stoppage-time strike canceled out Arnaud Nordin's 89th-minute goal to seal a 3-1 scoreline. PSG now lead second-placed Olympique de Marseille by five points after 21 league matches.
