Football players can be roughly divided into two categories: "artists" and "assassins". The "artist" will explore opportunities and seek praise from the audience to make the competition more pleasing to the eye. At the same time, in the eyes of the "Assassin", there was no opponent he could not defeat.
Darwin Nunez was one of the highest-ranking "assassins". 20 goals scored in 22 league appearances, and this statistic already says a lot.
However, it was the way he fulfilled his desire to score goals that made him a treasure in the eyes of scouts all over the world. Just give him an inch of space and he can get to a place that scares his opponent.
When ruthless efficiency comes into play, why do "artistic" dribbling and probing? All of this is about scoring goals. Núñez just lives to score goals, to satisfy his desire to score goals.
The 22-year-old can play anywhere on the front line, and that alone proves that Benfica was worth it to bring him in for 24 million euros in 2020.
He is currently the top scorer in the Portuguese Premier League and in his current form, Benfica will face a big challenge to keep him after the summer, as many of Europe's top teams are looking to bring in centre-forwards.
But what makes Núñez such a fierce striker?
What's so special about him?
Nuñez is 1.87 meters tall and is a positive Indian center forward, he is good at reaching the box and completing a goal.
After suffering several injuries the previous season, Nunez broke out suddenly this season. Although the Portuguese Premier League does not belong to the top five leagues, Nunez can be ranked 9th on the top five league top scorers.
Nunez is also an efficient dribbling artist. Statistics from Soccerment show that Nunez is in 18th place when it comes to dribbling attempts, but his success rate is over 50%, which shows that he has a good knack for advancing with the ball at half-time.
In addition, Núñez's Expected Offensive Added Value (xOVA) ranks 2, a figure that more effectively measures the efficiency of players, as players will be penalized if they concede the ball after gaining valuable passes.
setback
However, Núñez's integration into the Benfica team was not so easy. He suffered multiple injuries before contracting the coronavirus, which made it difficult for him to play. However, this did not stop him from scoring 6 goals and contributing 9 assists in the league, while he also contributed 5 goals and 1 assist in the Europa League.
This season, Núñez has played more of a shooter role, and his organizational offensive ability has taken a back seat.
From the comparison of Núñez's heat maps for the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons, we see a stark difference.
In the 2020-21 season, Nunez spent most of his time on the left side of the box. That's where he worked wonders and contributed nine assists.
This season, however, his heat map shows that he will come more into the box, which explains why he has scored so many goals.
"Killer" nature
If there's one thing Nuñez has shown this season, it's that the shooter is the best player for his role. Of course, a lot of players can score goals, but what makes Nunez unique is the efficiency with which he scores.
Soccerment's statistics show Núñez scored 18 goals in his 28 attempts on goal. With a goal conversion rate of 64.28%, ranking first among Portuguese Premier League players, it is quite amazing. His goal conversion rate is 10% higher than that of second-placed Ricardo Horta and third-place Luis Díaz.
Another point to note is that while Núñez was more involved in the organisation of the attack in the 2020-21 season, in the same Europa League he was placed more in the centre of the attack, hence his 5 goals and 1 assist.
Smarterscout rates the various skills of players aged 0-99, and although Nunez has a low rating when he has the ball, his offensive ability score is quite high.
Why should Núñez be a target for top teams?
Nunez is a special player who is blessed with a unique ability to score, so he can improve the offensive quality of any team.
The 21-year-old will also have plenty of suitors as giants such as Barca, Manchester City, Real Madrid and Paris will all be looking for a top striker in the transfer market.
Although Haaland is currently the most talked about player, only one club can eventually get him, and his high transfer fees and salary may become an obstacle for many clubs to bring him in.
Nunez, like Haaland, is 21 years old and it is naturally easier for a club to trade with Benfica than to sign Haaland.
This was reflected in the January transfer window, and although Núñez's severance payment is said to be between 125 and 150 million euros, Benfica is ready to let him go for less than 50 million euros.
Therefore, for a team looking to bring in a player with great potential, Núñez is undoubtedly a perfect choice.