- Enzo Fernandez and his influencer wife have gone their separate ways
- Valentina Cervantes followed Fernandez to London when he joined Chelsea
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Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez has split from his childhood sweetheart to live on his own.
Fernandez and his influencer wife Valentina Cervantes met in their homeland of Argentina and have two children together, a daughter born in March 2020 and a son who was born in October 2023.
Cervantes followed Fernandez to Benfica when he joined the Portuguese club in 2022, and then moved to London to join her partner when he signed for Chelsea in a deal worth £107m last January. But a little over 18 months on, the couple have decided to go their separate ways.
Announcing the end of their relationship on Thursday, Cervantes wrote on Instagram: ‘With Enzo today we say distance from each other. But we will always be family and support each other through everything. Because there are two kids in the middle that need a lot of our love for them.
‘I know the person and excellent father Enzo is, and the heart he has. And that’s enough for me. They don’t want to create wars where there aren’t any.’
Enzo Fernandez has split from his childhood sweetheart and mother of his children Valentina Cervantes
Cervantes (left) followed Fernandez (right) to London when he joined Chelsea last year
The couple have been together a number of years after meeting in their homeland of Argentina, but have now gone their separate ways
Cervantes’s statement indicates that it is an amicable split, while an Argentine journalist has provided more details on the break-up on X.
Julieta Argenta wrote: ‘He told her he wants to live life on his own. They’re still family, but he feels the need to experience the stage he skipped by choosing family early on.’
Fernandez’s big decision over his personal life comes amid a difficult period in his Chelsea career that has seen him dropped to the bench by Enzo Maresca in recent weeks.
The 23-year-old, who captained the Blues in the opening weeks of the season, has not started either of Chelsea’s last two league games, with Maresca preferring a midfield pairing of Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia.
Fernandez was brought back into the starting XI for Chelsea’s trip to Newcastle on Wednesday, but his side were beaten 2-0 as they exited the Carabao Cup.
He now faces a battle to get back into Chelsea’s strongest XI after failing to live up to expectations since arriving in England. He currently has a modest return of just seven goals and six assists in 74 Chelsea appearances.
Fernandez is going through a difficult time at Chelsea after being dropped from Enzo Maresca’s starting XI
Fernandez and Chelsea were knocked out of the Carabao Cup by Newcastle on Wednesday
It has not all been doom and gloom for Fernandez, as he did win the Copa America with Argentina in July.
However, he found himself at the centre of a racism storm after filming several members of the Argentina squad singing a controversial song about France’s black players in the aftermath of the Copa America triumph.
His Chelsea team-mate Wesley Fofana branded the song ‘uninhibited racism’, and unfollowed Fernandez on Instagram. His club team-mates Axel Disasi and Malo Gusto followed suit.
Fernandez subsequently posted an apology in response to the backlash that read: ‘I want to apologise for a video posted on my Instagram channel during the national team celebrations.
Enzo Fernandez filmed Argentina’s players singing a controversial song about France’s black players back in July
His Chelsea team-mate Wesley Fofana branded the song ‘uninhibited racism’ and Fernandez later apologised for his involvement in the incident
‘The song includes highly offensive language and there is absolutely no excuse for these words. I stand against discrimination in all forms and apologise for getting caught up in the euphoria of our Copa America celebrations.
‘That video, that moment, those words, do not reflect my beliefs or my character. I am truly sorry.’
He also made a personal apology to his Chelsea team-mates, and was reintegrated into the squad prior to the season beginning in August.
