While many in Spain and Portugal knew everything about Darwin Núñez long before the season, the Uruguayan striker made his debut in The Champions League group stage earlier this season, playing the lead role in Benfica's 3-0 win over Barcelona, making his name in European football. The young striker scored two goals that night as the Portuguese giants scored a valuable three-pointer against the disgraced Barca. As if that wasn't bad enough, Nunez is a player who has been under the noses of the Catalan giants for many years and has plenty of opportunities to sign. However, with la Liga giants in a financial crisis, many clubs are already at the forefront of chasing the striker. Núñez mainly plays the role of centre-forward, but can sometimes play as a left-back.
Nunez really played his part while playing for Almeria in Spain, scoring 16 goals in 30 starts before moving to Benfica. In 29 starts for the Portuguese giants in all competitions in the 2020-21 season, he contributed an impressive 14 goals and 10 assists. Núñez has improved his goal scoring rate this season as he has scored 21 goals in all competitions. He has the ability to score goals and the ability to create goals, and in that respect he is very much like Luis Suarez. The comparison with Suarez has indeed begun, after all they are all Uruguayans.
In Last season's Europa League match between Benfica and Lech Poznan, he scored a wonderful hat-trick that also embodied many of his qualities. His opening goal was a header after receiving a cross – not the kind of opportunity he expected at Barcelona – but his second goal was a screeching stop inside the box that allowed him to dodge defenders before a calm shot. Finally, the third goal was a grab in the penalty area. After that spectacular performance against Poznan, Benfica coach Jorge Jesus hinted that the club would eventually sell Núñez for more than the €126 million he received when João Felix moved to Atletico Madrid. Jesus said: "He is the most expensive player in Benfica and if there had been no outbreak, he would have been the most expensive player. He will be a world-class player. We got it right. We can't forget that he's a kid, he's 21 years old and there's a lot more to this game where he can improve. He would study with my Benfica. ”
Barcelona were interested in Núñez before Benfica's move, and on several occasions he was recommended to the manager of the team. However, they ended up being dragged down by the asking price, and while Barca remained in a strong interest, their finances would have to improve significantly if they were to make a transfer. In a recent interview, veteran Luis Suarez revealed how he asked Barca to sign Núñez before moving to Portugal, but was never able to persuade the club to act. Suarez said on social media: "I say to them: follow him. It's good, he's a harbinger of the future. They said he was playing for Almeria and he was too young. I have 15 years of experience in international competitions and I have a strong eye for attacking players. West Ham tried to sign him at the January transfer window, but their attempt was quickly rejected by Benfica. United see him as a future replacement for Cristiano Ronaldo, with BBG reports suggesting they could sign him in the summer of 2022.