Chelsea paid Benfica a British record £106.8 million ($144.1 million) for Enzo Fernandez in 2023. Two years later, Fernandez is certainly living up to those expectations. The attacking midfielder from Argentina has helped Chelsea reach the Club World Cup final, a little over a month after they won the UEFA Conference League final. However, this time there are concerns.
After beating Fluminense 2-0, the 2022 World Cup winner voiced his concerns over the heat. “The truth is, the heat is incredible. The other day, I got a little dizzy in the game,” the 24-year-old said about the searing New Jersey heat. The fact that their semifinal match kicked off at 3:00 pm only made things worse as the afternoon heat reached a scorching 96 degrees. However, analyst Stu Holden didn’t want to hear any of it.
“Honestly— enough of the ‘USA conditions aren’t safe for players’. Where do you want to play it, Enzo?” the Fox Soccer analyst wrote on X. Holden didn’t just stop with that question for Enzo Fernandez. He added, “Here is a graphic showing the current temperatures in NYC, London, Paris, and Madrid. (BTW that temp is at night in Europe and 3 PM EST in NYC). Give me a break.”
The screenshot in question showed only a 4-degree Fahrenheit difference in temperatures between New York, Paris, and Madrid. As per Holden’s screenshot, the temperature in New York at 3:00 pm, the same time as the New Jersey semifinal, was 86 degrees. Meanwhile, Paris at night was just 4 degrees cooler, while Madrid was just 1 degree cooler at 85.
Honestly— enough of the “USA conditions aren’t safe for players”. Where do you want to play it Enzo? Here is a graphic showing the current temperatures in NYC, London, Paris, and Madrid. (BTW that temp is at night in Europe and 3 PM EST in NYC).
Give me a break https://t.co/2H2hisvfsG pic.twitter.com/tqtmtqMF1d
— Stu Holden (@stuholden) July 11, 2025
This story is developing…
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