Five goals in five games, playing a position he doesn't normally play, for a club that only signed him last summer. Nicolás Fernández Mercau has turned NYCFC's early 2026 season into his personal audition tape — and Sporting CP and Benfica are apparently watching.
The 26-year-old Argentine has become the first player in NYCFC history to score five goals through the opening five matches of a season. That's not just a hot streak. That's a statement. He's currently sitting third in the MLS Golden Boot race, and he's doing it as a makeshift striker while regular forward Alonso Martínez recovers from injury — despite Fernández Mercau being, by trade, a midfielder.
Playing out of position, looking right at home
Head coach Pascal Jansen has taken to calling him the "9 ½" — not quite a striker, not quite a 10, but effective enough to make the distinction irrelevant. Fernández Mercau's answer when asked what he's changed to make it work: nothing. "It's nothing that I'm doing different. It's still putting in the same hard work that I've always done, but I guess feeling comfortable has definitely helped out."
That comfort level matters. NYCFC signed him from La Liga side Elche CF as a designated player — one of the bigger investments in the club's recent history — and the expectation was creativity, goals in big moments, and defensive effort. He delivered all three during the 2025 playoff run. Now he's delivering goals before most teams have even found their footing.
Jansen put it plainly: "So far, he hasn't disappointed anybody here at the club." That's coach-speak for: we knew, and we were right.
Sporting CP and Benfica sniffing around
Rumors linking Fernández Mercau to Portuguese giants Sporting CP and Benfica surfaced during the international break. Jansen said he was "not aware" of any concrete interest — but notably didn't dismiss the logic of it either. "If you play well, you do well, that's part of our world in football. You will always get interest from anywhere in the world."
That's a manager who has clocked the rumors and is managing upward carefully. NYCFC are about to move into their permanent Queens home next season — a landmark moment for the club — and losing their best player before they even play a home match there would sting.
From a market standpoint, a player scoring at this pace in MLS with prior La Liga experience and reported Primeira Liga interest is exactly the kind of profile that drives transfer fee speculation. NYCFC's designated player investment could end up looking very smart — or very short-lived.
Fernández Mercau, for his part, kept it brief: "It's soccer and there's always a bunch of rumors. I need to focus on what I need to do."
Right now, what he needs to do is keep scoring. And so far, he hasn't given anyone a reason to think he'll stop.
