Marc Cucurella claims he was completely unaware of Enzo Fernandez at the start of the World Cup and had to Google him after being impressed by his displays for Argentina.
The Chelsea midfielder had not started for his nation before the competition in Qatar and began on the bench for the team’s opening group game defeat to Saudi Arabia.
But he started the subsequent six games and became a key player en route to Argentina’s World Cup win providing bite and tenacity off the ball, as well as composure on it.
His performances in Qatar, coupled with his good form for Benfica, saw Fernandez become the most expensive player in the Premier League when Chelsea agreed to pay £106.8m on deadline day.
That transfer marked a remarkable rise for the midfielder, who had been uncapped by his nation and still playing for River Plate only six months before.
Fernandez’s rapid rise from the Argentinian league to becoming the Premier League’s record signing caught Cucurella off guard, with the Spaniard having never heard of the him prior to his breakout World Cup campaign.
‘I liked to watch matches in which my friends were playing, so I was watching Argentina because of Alexis,’ Cucurella told the South American edition of ESPN’s Sports Center.
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‘I think I said, “I really like number 24, he’s very good!” But I didn’t even know where he played! I had to go and search on my phone!
‘As I watched more games, I told my family and friends that I really liked him a lot. And then he came to Chelsea!
‘I told Enzo that I had liked him at the World Cup. He’s a good guy, I’m waiting for him to cook me a barbeque.
‘He is very young, but he is very talented with the ball and he is intelligent. He’s still adapting but he’s already played some good games. We have [signed] a great midfielder.’
