Enzo Fernández has revealed just how deeply Lionel Messi's Argentina retirement has affected him, recalling how he once calculated whether he could reach the national team in time to play alongside his childhood idol.
Fernández was still a young player when Messi first announced his decision to step away from international football in 2016.
Rather than simply watching his idol from afar, the midfielder began wondering whether their careers could eventually overlap.
That dream eventually came true in a way Fernández could hardly have imagined.
“I Used to Compare Your Age With Mine”
In an emotional letter dedicated to Messi, Fernández recalled being a child and trying to work out whether he would have enough time to reach Argentina's senior team before Messi's international career ended.
“I was just a kid, and I used to compare your age with mine to see if one day I might get the chance to play with you.”
Fernández admitted that the thought might sound unusual, but it was genuine.
He would calculate how many years Messi might have left with Argentina and how long it could take him to reach the first division, hoping that the two would eventually wear the same shirt.
For Fernández, even one appearance alongside Messi would have been enough to fulfil a childhood dream.
That Dream Became Something Much Bigger
Messi eventually returned to international football, giving Fernández the opportunity he had once only imagined.
What followed went far beyond a single appearance.
Fernández joined the Argentina senior team in 2022 and quickly became an important member of the squad during their successful World Cup campaign in Qatar.
The midfielder went from calculating whether he might get the chance to play with Messi to actually sharing the dressing room, training sessions and biggest matches in international football with him.
Most significantly, the pair became world champions together.
“I didn’t just get to play with you. We shared training camps, the dressing room, conversations, hugs, difficult moments, incredible moments, and we ended up becoming world champions together.”
For Fernández, that journey transformed a childhood ambition into one of the defining experiences of his career.
Messi Made Fernández Feel at Home
The Chelsea midfielder's tribute was not only about Messi's achievements on the pitch.
Fernández also focused on how the Argentina captain treated him when he first joined the national team.
Coming into a squad containing his childhood idol could easily have been overwhelming, but Fernández said Messi made him feel like part of the group from the beginning.
He remembered Messi offering advice, encouragement and support whenever he needed it.
“You always had a word, some advice, a hug, or simply a way of making me feel calm whenever I needed it.”
That personal relationship appears to be what Fernández values most from their time together.
“How Lucky I Was, Leo”
Messi's departure now means Fernández will have to experience Argentina camps without the player he spent years dreaming of meeting.
The midfielder admitted that imagining the next camp without Messi feels strange after so many years of seeing the No. 10 leading the team.
“Walking onto the pitch and not seeing you up front, wearing the No. 10. After so many years of seeing you there, it feels impossible to imagine it any other way.”
Fernández then returned to the child he once was; the youngster who calculated the possibility of reaching Argentina's senior team before Messi's career ended.
“How lucky I was, Leo. How lucky that kid was.”
A Dream That Became Reality
There is something particularly fitting about Fernández's tribute.
The boy who once wondered whether he would ever be good enough or fast enough to share the Argentina shirt with Messi ultimately achieved the dream at the highest possible level.
He played alongside Messi, won the World Cup with him and became part of an Argentina generation that finally delivered the major trophies the country had spent years chasing.
Now that chapter is closing.
Fernández ended his message by thanking Messi for the way he treated him, everything he taught him and the opportunity to share part of his story.
“We’re going to miss you so much, captain.”
For Fernández, Messi's retirement is not simply the end of an era for Argentina.
It is the moment when a childhood dream that once seemed impossible finally comes full circle.