Syndicated reporting provided by Stats Perform and reviewed by the SoccerNews editorial team.
Enzo Fernandez was honoured to have the chance to play alongside Lionel Messi, who has retired from international football.
Messi confirmed on Monday that he was calling time on his glittering Argentina career.
He bows out having captained his country to World Cup glory in 2022, in addition to two Copa America triumphs.
Messi’s final game for Argentina came in the World Cup final last month, as Spain beat the Albiceleste 1-0.
The 39-year-old’s crowning moment came when he propelled Argentina to glory in Qatar almost four years ago, a tournament in which Fernandez made his breakthrough.
And the Chelsea midfielder, who is the subject of intense transfer speculation, has paid tribute to his hero, who initially reversed a choice to retire from internationals in 2016.
Fernandez wrote on Instagram: “Leo, when you said that time that you were leaving the national team, I was really sad.
“I was just a kid, and I used to do the math with your age and mine to see if I might ever get the chance to play with you one day. It sounds silly, but I really did it.
“I would think about how many years you might have left, how many l still needed before making it to the first team, and I dreamed that, even if it was just once, we could wear the Argentina shirt together.
“Luckily, you came back. And life ended up being so much more beautiful than that kid could ever have imagined.
“Not only did I get to play with you. We shared training camps, locker rooms, conversations, hugs, difficult moments, incredible moments, and we ended up becoming world champions together.
“But more than anything, I’ll always be grateful for the way you treated me from the moment I arrived. I came in dreaming of sharing the pitch with my idol, and instead I found someone who, from the very beginning, made me feel like I belonged.
“You always had a word for me, a piece of advice, a hug, or simply a way of making me feel calm when I needed it. I’ll never forget that.
“Today, it’s hard for me to imagine the next training camp without you. Walking onto the pitch and not seeing you up ahead, wearing the No. 10. After so many years of seeing you there, it feels impossible to imagine it any other way.
“How lucky I was, Leo. How lucky that kid was, doing the math without knowing if he would ever make it in time.”
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