Darwin Nunez
Uruguayan Footballer
Darwin Nunez is a Uruguayan footballer who plays for Liverpool FC. He joined the Reds from Benfica in the summer of 2022.
Darwin Nunez
• Date of birth: 24 June 1999
• Age: 23 years old
• Place of birth: Artigas, Uruguay
• Nationality: Uruguayan
• Position: Striker
• Height: 187cm / 6ft 2ins
• Weight: 78kg / 172 lbs
• Wages: £140,000 per week (Reported)
• Contract expires: 2028
• Twitter: @Darwinn99
• Instagram: @darwin_n9
The 23-year-old forward began his career in his native homeland of Uruguay before securing a transfer to Europe to join Almeria in the summer of 2019.
After one season with the Spanish club, Nunez earned a move to Portuguese side Benfica, where he scored 48 goals in 85 games over two campaigns.
In the summer of 2022, Nunez secured a big-money transfer to Premier League side Liverpool FC, signing a six-year contract to keep him at Anfield until at least the summer of 2028.
Nunez is a seasoned Uruguay international, having made his senior debut for his country back in 2019.
So, what do we know about Nunez’s journey to becoming the talented attacking footballer he is today? This is his story.
Early Life, Parents And Upbringing
Darwin Nunez (full name: Darwin Gabriel Núñez Ribeiro) was born on 24 June 1999 in Artigas in Uruguay, to parents Bibiano Nunez and Silvia Ribeiro. His father was a builder, and his mother sold milk bottles.
“He comes from a very poor family where they were regularly lacking food, with his mother selling milk bottles, and his dad was a builder,” Uruguayan journalist Taimur Yamani told BBC Sport in the summer of 2022. “His parents made many sacrifices just to feed the family.”
Nunez played for local clubs La Luz and San Miguel before earning moving to the capital city of Montevideo to join Penarol in 2013, when he was around 14 years old.
“At the age of 14, he left his family behind in Artigas to make the big move [to Montevideo],” explains Yamani.
Darwin Nunez (Photo: LFC TV / YouTube / Screengrab)
Nunez struggled with a knee injury that ruled him out for more than a year but made his first-team debut for Penarol in the Primera Division on 22 November 2017.
He scored his first professional goal on 13 October 2018, netting the opener for Penarol in a 2–0 home win over Fenix.
Between 2017 and 2019, he scored a total of four goals in 22 appearances for Penarol before earning a move to Europe.
Move To Europe
Nunez signed for Spanish second division side Almeria on 29 August 2019 on a five-year contract. The transfer fee was reported to be in the region of US$4.5m plus $1.5m in add-ons.
He made his debut for Almeria on 3 October 2019, coming on during a 4-2 defeat by Sporting de Gijon. His first goal for the Spanish club came on his first start, on 27 October 2019, when he netted a penalty in a 3–2 home win against Extremadura.
Nunez scored a total of 16 goals in 32 games in all competitions during his one and only season with Almeria.
Benfica
Nunez’s impressive performances for Almeria had caught the eye of Portuguese club Benfica, and they swooped to sign him in September 2020.
The Uruguay forward penned a five-year contract with the club, who were reported to have shelled out a transfer fee of €24m to land their man.
Nunez made his first-team debut for Benfica on 15 September 2020 in a 2–1 loss against PAOK in the Champions League third qualifying round.
He scored his first goals for the Portuguese club on 22 October 2020, netting an impressive hat-trick in 4–2 away victory over Poznan in the Europa League group stage.
Nunez enjoyed a strong first season in Portugal, scoring a total of 14 goals in 44 games for the club. He really found his form in his second campaign at Benfica, though, with Nunez scoring an impressive 34 goals in 41 goals for the Portuguese side, including six goals in the Champions League.
Nunez’s sparkling performances for Benfica had caught the eye of Liverpool FC, and a move to the Premier League soon beckoned for the forward.
Darwin Nunez (Photo: LFC TV / YouTube / Screengrab)
Transfer To Liverpool FC
Liverpool FC were strongly linked with a move to sign Nunez in the 2022 summer transfer window, and his switch to Anfield was officially confirmed on 14 June 2022.
According to Sky Sports, Nunez signed a six-year contract with the Reds (to keep him at Anfield until the summer of 2028) and the transfer fee was worth a total of £85m, making him a club-record signing.
At the time, it was reported that the upfront fee of £64m would rise to £85m should Nunez reach a number of milestones outlined in his agreement.
“I’ve played against Liverpool and I’ve seen them in lots of games in the Champions League, and it’s my style of play,” Nunez said upon signing for the Merseyside outfit, who had finished a point behind champions Manchester City in the season which had just finished. “There are some great players here and I think it’s going to suit my style of play.
“I’ve watched quite a lot and it’s a very big club and I hope I can give everything that I’ve got in order to help the team. That’s one of the reasons why I came here to Liverpool – to win trophies and titles. I want to win a lot of trophies at Liverpool.”
Nunez made his unofficial debut for Liverpool FC in a pre-season friendly clash against Manchester United on 12 July 2022.
He scored his first goals for the Merseyside club when he netted four times in a 5-0 victory over RB Leipzig in a pre-season friendly on 21 July 2022.
Darwin Nunez (Photo: LFC TV / YouTube / Screengrab)
International Career
Nunez represented Uruguay at both Under-20 and Under-22 level, netting five goals for those two sides.
He then made his senior international debut for Uruguay on 16 October 2019 in a 1–1 friendly draw away to Peru, scoring his first goal for his country in the same game.
As of July 2022, Nunez had scored two goals in 11 games for his country.
Earnings, Contract And Wages
Nunez’s weekly wages at Liverpool FC are reported to be in the region of £140,000 per week.
The six-year contract he signed with the Merseyside outfit in 2022 is due to expire in the summer of 2028.
Life Away From The Pitch
In January 2022, Nunez and his partner Lorena Manas announced the birth of their first child, also named Darwin.
Darwin Nunez with his girlfriend Lorena Manas, pictured in June 2022 (Photo: @darwin_n9 / Instagram)
What Have Others Said?
Filipe Ingles, from the podcast Benfica FM, speaking about Nunez’s spell at Benfica: “He has progressed a lot. Physically he has become a monster – he is so physical and quick, and another thing he has improved a lot is confidence. He was the type of striker that sometimes lacked the confidence to score; he always tried to pass the ball to another player and that is something in the first season we all saw he had that problem. In this second season he became much more confident, he started scoring goals.”
Liverpool FC boss Jurgen Klopp, speaking about how he was impressed by Nunez when he played against the Reds for Benfica in the season before his switch to Anfield: “It was massively impressive when he played in front of us. The power and the mix-up with technique, the desire, smart moves, the problems he caused us. We fell all in love in these two games. A very aggressive South American, it’s a good thing It was really a joy to watch him and so when we realised we had a good chance to sign him, we were all-in and we’re really happy he’s here now.”
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, speaking about Nunez following his switch to Liverpool FC in the summer of 2022: “I think obviously Darwin, we played against and saw him first hand and I think everything that we saw in those games… he reminded me a little bit of Luis [Diaz] when we played against him when he was at Porto. He’s that sort of a player that you know what you are going to get from – the athleticism, the speed, the strength, the power – and it was the same with him. I remember having to chase Luis back at Anfield at one point and he made me stick it into fifth gear and then try to find sixth to keep up with him!”
