In 2016, the Uruguayan striker suffered a very serious ligament injury. 6 years later, he played an important role in helping Liverpool win their first title of the season.
Outstanding since he was just 17 years old, Darwin Nunez was soon given the opportunity at his old team Penarol in the U23 team. However, a terrible ligament injury almost made the Uruguayan player unable to continue on his path to top competition. The end of 2016 was the time when it seemed like Nunez’s career could not go far.
However, with the spirit of not giving up and greater efforts, the young Uruguayan striker has gradually asserted his name in the European arena. 2 goals and a title in his first official match in a Liverpool shirt are just a stepping stone on the journey ahead. For Nunez, nothing is impossible.
Rising from the incident
Liverpool’s rookie comes from a not-so-well-off family. He was born in the Artigas region, located in the northern river region of Uruguay. His father, Bibiano, worked in construction. His mother, Silvia, worked as a sanitation worker and collected glass bottles to sell for profit. Nunez’s family doesn’t always have enough to eat for the day.
“There were nights when I had to go to bed hungry,” Nunez told El Observador newspaper in 2019. “But my mother was the one who suffered the most. She always wanted to save food for my brothers and me.”
When Nunez was 14 years old, he was noticed by scouts of the Penarol football team. This is a club rich in Uruguayan tradition, but in Nunez’s luggage is only homesickness when he has to go to a foreign land, 600km away from his family. Nunez’s first trip only lasted a few months before returning to his family.
A year later, he decided to try again with maturity and determination to change his family’s destiny. Nunez was named in Penarol’s U16 team and immediately made an impression in the eyes of the coaches. Former teacher of the Uruguayan striker, Mr. Fernando Curutchet shared:
“Nunez is a very fast and strong player, along with a more mature playing mindset than his age. His outstanding physique helps him defeat opponents easily. Nunez’s special feature is determination. He can go far in the future, to any peak that Nunez wants.”
At a time when his career was skyrocketing, Nunez suddenly suffered a serious injury. He was called up to the U23 team when he was only 17 years old, but suffered a torn ligament after landing in an aerial dispute. A positive attitude helped Nunez overcome the surgery period, but gradually persistent pain in his knee continued to haunt the young Uruguayan player.
“There was a time when Nunez wanted to return home to Artigas. He always ended training sessions with the first team in tears when he couldn’t stand the pain. Nunez wants to play football, but is afraid that he cannot bring his best performances on the field,” Penarol head coach Leonardo Ramos said in 2017.
Come back strong to rise up
2019 marked a strong transformation for Darwin Nunez. He only played the role of reserve striker at Penarol during the previous period, but was the main striker in the Uruguay U20 team participating in the youth World Cup playground. 2 classy goals against Norway U20 and New Zealand U20 were enough for Nunez to have the opportunity to go to Europe to play. He joined Almeria, a team playing in the Spanish second division, for 4.5 million euros.
The trip to the old continent helped Nunez buy a more spacious house for his family in Uruguay, but this young striker wanted more. He scored 16 goals in the domestic arena, but that was not enough to help Almeria get promoted. Benfica came and gave Nunez his chance, and what followed were performances that stirred the European media.
Not only did Nunez impress in Portugal, he also made a splash in the Champions League. After a season that was somewhat hindered and interrupted by COVID-19, the Uruguayan striker played explosively with 34 goals in 41 matches on all fronts.
Just 3 years after arriving in Europe, Darwin Nunez has reached the level of the top team on the old continent. Liverpool spent up to 100 million euros, and the title came to Nunez right in the first official match.
From a boy who couldn’t stand being homesick, Nunez is the most mentioned name in Europe right now. This is not only a story about an individual rising from a difficult starting point, but this is also a model for every young player with the determination and spirit to rise.
Let’s not talk about the success or failure that the striker wearing shirt number 27 will show next season in the Liverpool shirt. Nunez has now defeated fate to reach the highest level of European football when he is only 23 years old. That is the type of person Jurgen Klopp always wants: full of fighting spirit and not afraid to rise from difficulties.