The Bayer Leverkusen midfielder made his long-awaited Argentina debut on Wednesday night, coming off the bench in the 4-0 friendly victory over Bolivia in Córdoba. Lionel Scaloni introduced the 24-year-old in the 74th minute, replacing Alexis Mac Allister, giving Fernández his first senior appearance for the world champions.

It was a moment that had been coming for some time.

Fernández had already been called up by Argentina in 2024 for the South American qualifiers, but never made it onto the pitch. More than two years later, he finally got his opportunity, becoming one of five players to make their Argentina debuts against Bolivia. That introduction brought the number of players to debut under Scaloni to 70.

And Fernández almost gave himself the perfect start.

Only three minutes after entering the pitch, the Leverkusen midfielder came close to scoring with a header. Bayer themselves highlighted the chance in their international roundup, noting that he narrowly missed capping his debut with a goal.

But the significance of the night goes beyond those few minutes.

Fernández's path to the Argentina squad has been anything but straightforward. After joining Leverkusen from Al-Qadsiah in September 2025, he endured a difficult first season, including a red card on his Bundesliga debut. His situation became even more complicated in April 2026 when he refused to come on against Borussia Dortmund and was subsequently left out of the squad. That incident made him a potential candidate to leave the club before he apologised to his teammates and began working towards a reset.

That reset has now taken him to the Argentina national team.

The timing is particularly significant for Leverkusen. Fernández has started all four of Bayer's Bundesliga matches this season and has already scored once, finding the net in the 4-0 victory over Union Berlin. He also featured in the club's Europa League campaign before joining up with Scaloni's squad.

Fernández is now part of a new generation being introduced into Scaloni's squad following the 2026 World Cup.

For Leverkusen, there is an obvious sense of satisfaction.

The club invested in Fernández because they saw a midfielder capable of operating at a high level in Europe. A year ago, his future at the BayArena looked considerably less certain.

Now he is an Argentina international.

And after finally stepping onto the pitch in the famous blue and white shirt, Equi Fernández has given Leverkusen another reason to believe that his difficult chapter is firmly behind him.