Ezequiel Fernández: Boca’s Next Big Export
Throughout footballing history there’s been a long line of valuable exports hailing from La Boca and arriving in Europe; the likes of Diego Maradona, Juan Román Riquelme, and Fernando Gago were all players to take the leap. And next in line to cross the Atlantic may well be 21-year-old machinelike midfielder, Ezequiel Fernández.
A dynamic footballer who is more than capable to play as a 6 or an 8, with his amazing passing range, gritty determination and raw technical ability, it’s clear to see why Europe has come calling. However, to first understand why ‘Equi’ is so sought after, we need to look at his footballing journey, how he overcame challenges and grew to be Boca’s golden son.
After struggling to break into the first team at Boca in 2021, it was decided that 19-year-old Fernández would spend 2022 at newly promoted Tigre to gain valuable game time. Playing under Diego Martínez, who is now his manager at Boca Juniors, Equi Fernández joined Tigre on a yearlong loan along with Mateo Retegui and Facundo Colidio, forming one of the most unforgettable Argentinian teams in recent years.
Whilst playing for El Matador, Equi Fernández often started in a defensive midfield role alongside the captain, 35-year-old Sebastián Prediger. The two formed an unbreakable bond with the former Tigre hero describing Fernández as “a boy who knows exactly what he has to do” and someone who has “a big future”- it’s safe to say he knew what Fernández could become before many others did.
Although having been promoted just six months earlier, Tigre made it all the way to the final of the 2022 Copa de la Liga, eventually losing 3-0 to Fernández’s parent club, Boca Juniors. Even despite the fact that Fernández couldn’t bring any silverware to Tigre, by the end of his loan he had helped them achieve something massive- a place in the 2023 Copa Sudamericana.
It’s clear to see that playing for Tigre has shaped Fernández into the footballer he is today, at times he had to get his hands dirty and learn the harsh reality of professional football whilst on the job, but watching him first hand it was easy to tell that there was definitely a raw talent there.
By the time the 2023 season had started in Argentina, Ezequiel Fernández was a name that most football fans in the country were aware of, however in that upcoming season he would put his name on the radar of clubs all around the world. Featuring in 43 games for Boca Juniors in 2023, Fernández played in a similar role to which he was assigned to at Tigre: doing the simple things but doing them well.
In 2023, Fernández averaged a pass completion rate of 88% in the Copa de la Liga, Liga Profesional, and Copa Libertadores combined- playing the role of the engine in the Boca midfield. As the year went on and Fernández kept improving, people started to look towards him as someone to rely on in the midfield, especially after his partner in crime, Alan Varela, left for Porto.
Luckily for Boca fans, Equi was up to the task, playing a key role in Boca reaching the final of the Copa Libertadores, he put in a man of the match performance in the semi-final first leg, and also stood out above the rest of the Boca Juniors team in the final, very nearly dragging them to victory.
Apart from his top performances in the Copa Libertadores, he also registered as the player with the most accurate pass completion rate in the Copa de la Liga last year, registering 66.7% accurate passes per game. And in 2024 he’s started to show a more complete picture of what he could become, playing a bit further forward at times, Diego Martínez has given him free rein to show off his creative side a bit more.
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In this year’s edition of the Copa de la Liga, Fernández created seven goal scoring chances for his teammates, a much better number than the two he created last year. And in the Liga Profesional, he’s made a bright start, scoring twice and assisting once in four games, although all of those goal contributions did come in a single game.
The big question surrounding him now is whether he’ll be at Boca come the end of summer, and as we approach the summer transfer market in Europe, it seems more and more likely that Porto will be his chosen destination. However, with the Olympics around the corner and Fernández hoping to play a big part in them, we could see some of Europe’s biggest clubs have their heads turned towards him.
Whatever the outcome, Ezequiel Fernández will be sure to shine.
By: Albert Hilton / @alberthltn
Featured Image: @GabFoligno / Daniel Jayo / Getty Images