Núñez came throughPeñarol's youth academy, being promoted to thefirst team in 2017. In August 2019, he joined SpanishSegunda División clubAlmería for a club record fee.Benfica signed him in 2020 for a club-record transfer worth €24 million, the most expensive signing in Portuguese football history. In his second season, he won theBola de Prata for top scorer in thePrimeira Liga with 26 goals in 28 games, being named in the Primeira Liga Team of the Year andPrimeira Liga Player of the Year.Liverpool then signed him in 2022 for a transfer worth €75 million (£64 million). After winning the2024–25 Premier League, he was sold to Al-Hilal for €53 million (£46 million).
After representing Uruguay at various youth levels, Núñez was called up to the senior national team for his first time in 2019. He scored on his international debut againstPeru. After missing the2021 Copa América due to an injury, Núñez represented Uruguay at the2022 FIFA World Cup and the2024 Copa América.
Early life
Darwin Gabriel Núñez Ribeiro[3] was born on 24 June 1999[4] inArtigas, Artigas Department.[5] He was born into an impoverished family, in which his father Bibiano Núñez was a builder and his mother Silvia Ribeiro was ahawker of milk bottles. Núñez played for local clubs La Luz and San Miguel before being scouted at the age of 14 by former Uruguay internationalJosé Perdomo, and then moving by himself to the capital cityMontevideo to join the ranks ofPeñarol.[6][7]
Struggling withhomesickness, Núñez returned to his hometown to spend time with his family and went back to Peñarol a year later. At the age of 17, he suffered acruciate ligament injury that ruled him out for over a year and required two operations.[8] While he was injured, his older brother Junior quit the club and gave up football to provide for the family, telling him "you're better suited than me".[6][7]
Club career
Early career
He made hisfirst-team debut in thePrimera División on 22 November 2017, when he came on for Peñarol as a second-halfsubstitute forMaxi Rodríguez in a 2–1 away loss againstRiver Plate Montevideo.[9] The following month, he had knee surgery for a second time.[8] Núñez scored his first professional goal on 13 October 2018, with the opener in a 2–0 home win overFénix.[10] On 14 July 2019, he scored ahat-trick in a 4–0 victory againstBoston River.[11]
On 29 August 2019, SpanishSegunda División clubAlmería announced the signing of Núñez on a five-year contract,[12] for a rumoured club record fee of US$4.5 million plus $1.5 million in variables.[13] He made his debut on 3 October as a half-time substitute in 4–2 league defeat againstSporting Gijón.[14] On 27 October 2019, starting for the first time, Núñez scored first goal for his new club in a 3–2 home win againstExtremadura with apenalty.[15] He finished his only season at theEstadio de los Juegos Mediterráneos as the league's joint fourth top scorer with 16 goals, led by compatriotCristhian Stuani.[16] Núñez scored these 16 goals in twice as many appearances.[17]
Benfica
On 4 September 2020, Núñez signed a five-year contract with Portuguese clubBenfica, who paid a club record fee of €24 million for the player. This was also Almeria's and the Segunda División's biggest transfer, with the club also receiving 20% of a future transfer.[18]
2020–2021: Adaptation to Portugal
Eleven days later, he made his debut for the club in a 2–1 loss againstPAOK for the2020–21 UEFA Champions League third qualifying round replacingPedrinho in the 65th minute of the game.[19] With his assist in a 3–0 win overRio Ave on 18 October, he reached five assists in his first four league games, best in the league.[20] On 22 October, he scored his first goals for the club with a hat-trick againstLech Poznań in a 4–2 away victory in a2020–21 UEFA Europa League group stage match.[21] Four days later, he scored his firstPrimeira Liga goal in a 2–0 home victory overB SAD.[22] On 3 December, after three weeks off through aCOVID-19 infection,[23] he returned to action against Lech Poznań in the Europa League group stage, scoring Benfica's second goal in a 4–0 home victory.[24] He struggled over the course of the season with the effects of COVID-19 and various injuries, and did not score for four months.[25] He scored six league goals and provided tenassists – second-best in the league – helping Benfica to a third-place finish and qualification for the Champions League third qualifying round.[26]
In May 2021, Núñez underwent surgery due to an injury on his right knee, forcing him to miss Benfica's first months of thenew season.[27] He made his return from injury on 21 August, replacingEverton in the 72nd minute, in a 2–0 away victory overGil Vicente, beingbooked in the process.[28] Following back-to-back braces againstSanta Clara andBoavista in the Primeira Liga, he was named the league's Player of the Month and Forward of the Month for September.[29] On 29 September, he scored his first twoChampions League goals in a 3–0 home victory overBarcelona, and was namedman of the match.[30] On 27 November, he scored his first hat-trick in the league as his team finished the first half at B-SAD 7–0 up, though the game was abandoned early in the second half due to insufficient players on the COVID-affected host team.[31] He added another treble on 12 December againstFamalicão in a 4–1 away win, becoming the seventh player in the league to score back-to-back hat-tricks.[32] Three days later, he scored two goals in a 3–0 home win overSporting da Covilhã to send his team into the semi-finals of the2021–22 Taça da Liga,[33] though, while he was away on international duty for Uruguay, Benfica were defeated 2–1 by crosstown rivalsSporting CP in the2022 Taça da Liga final.[34]
On 27 February, Núñez scored his 20th league goal for Benfica in as many matches, in a 3–0 home victory againstVitória de Guimarães.[35] On 15 March, in the second leg ofChampions League round of 16, he scored the only goal of an away win overAjax, securing a 3–2 aggregate win in the process.[36] On 9 April, he scored his third hat-trick of the season in a 3–1 victory against B-SAD, bringing his total goal count for the season to 31 goals.[37] He scored two goals againstLiverpool in the2021–22 Champions League quarter-finals: one in the first leg and the other in the second leg, while his team were eliminated 6–4 on aggregate. These games caught the eye ofJürgen Klopp, with the Liverpool manager stating that he believed that Núñez had a "big career ahead of him".[38] His sixth goal of the campaign made him Benfica's all-time top scorer in modern Champions League history, surpassingNuno Gomes' record of five goals set in the1998–99 season.[39] On 17 April, he scored a goal and provided an assist to help defeat the hosts Sporting 2–0 in theLisbon derby, being named man of the match.[40] In his last match for the club, on 7 May, Núñez scored a goal that was ruled out byVAR in a 1–0 home loss ofO Clássico against rivalsPorto, as they sealed the league title.[41] He finished the season with 26 goals in 28 league games, being awarded theBola de Prata award as top scorer of the Primeira Liga, being named in theTeam of the Year andPlayer of the Year.[42][43]
Liverpool
2022–2023: Adaptation to England
Núñez (left) celebrating a goal forLiverpool in 2022
On 13 June 2022, Benfica reached an agreement withPremier League clubLiverpool for the transfer of Núñez for a €75 million fee plus €25 million in add-ons.[44] The following day, the club confirmed the deal, for £64 million, with add-ons potentially taking the overall fee to £85 million at a later date, making him Liverpool's record transfer.[45] On 30 July, Núñez made his debut for Liverpool in the club's 3–1 win overManchester City in theFA Community Shield at theKing Power Stadium. He won a penalty, which was converted by fellow forwardMohamed Salah, and scored his first goal for the club with a stooping header in the fourth minute ofstoppage time.[46] On 6 August, he scored his first league goal for Liverpool and provided an assist for Salah on his debut againstFulham, which ended in a 2–2 draw.[47] During the following game, he was sent off for violent conduct in a 1–1 home draw againstCrystal Palace, having headbutted opponentJoachim Andersen.[48] On 12 October, Núñez scored his first Champions League goal for Liverpool in a7–1 away win againstRangers.[49] However, Núñez received criticism during the first half of the season for missing a number of big chances in matches.[50][51][52][53] Núñez was named the Liverpool Player of the Month for November.[54]
On 21 February 2023, Núñez scored Liverpool's first goal in a 5–2 home loss toReal Madrid with a flick between his legs in the first leg ofChampions League round of 16.[55] Owing to strong performances throughout the month, Núñez was named the Liverpool Player of the Month again for February.[56] Núñez's goal against Real Madrid was followed by a brace against Liverpool'srivalsManchester United in a 7–0 victory on 5 March.[57] A minor toe injury disrupted some of Núñez's later game time, with Núñez missing out on three matches owing to this problem.[58] Throughout the whole2022–23 season, Núñez made 42 appearances and scored 15 goals in all competitions, nine of such goals coming in the Premier League, as Liverpool narrowly missed out on Champions League qualification.[59][60]Goal called Núñez's season "mixed", noting that while he had "undoubtedly shown promise" he also had "plenty of flaws to iron out". However, it was in addition recognised by the publication that Núñez had "certainly done enough to earn the love and support of the Reds [Liverpool] fans".[61] Many also argued that it was unfair to judge him on his first season, especially on a season in which many Liverpool players suffered from lapses of form,[62][63][50] with former Liverpool playerSteve McManaman calling him a "work in progress".[64]
2023–2024: EFL Cup victory
On 27 August 2023, Núñez replacedAlexis Mac Allister in the 77th minute in a match againstNewcastle United where Liverpool were trailing by a goal and were reduced to 10 men. He scored in the 81st minute and again in the third minute of injury time, meaning that Liverpool won the game 2–1.[65][66] On 10 January 2024, Núñez provided two assists for his teammates in anEFL Cupsemi-final match againstFulham, causing him to rise to the position of Liverpool's top assist-maker in all competitions with 10.[67][68]
On 21 January 2024, Núñez scored a brace againstBournemouth;[69] his first goal was the 100th goal of his senior career for club and country,[70] while his second made him the first Premier League player that season to register at least 10 goals and 10 assists in all competitions.[70] On 28 January, Núñez scored againstNorwich City in thefourth round proper of theFA Cup, becoming the first player in the 2023–24 season in Europe's top five leagues to reach double figures for both non-penalty goals and also assists in all competitions.[71][72] On 17 February, Núñez scored his ninth Premier League goal of the season in a 4–1 victory againstBrentford which equalled his Premier League goal tally from the previous season.[73][74] However, he was withdrawn from this game injured at half-time and was later ruled out for the2024 EFL Cup final, in which Liverpool defeatedChelsea.[75][76] Núñez was praised as one of Liverpool's best performers throughout their EFL Cup campaign.[77] On 2 March, he scored in the 99th minute of a 1–0 win overNottingham Forest, which was Liverpool's latest winning Premier League goal since records began in2006–07.[78][79]
2024–2025: Premier League triumph
On 21 September 2024, Núñez scored his first goal ofthe season againstBournemouth and ended with a 3–0 win.[80] On 23 October, he scored his first Champions League goal of the season in a1–0 away win againstRB Leipzig.[81] On 18 January 2025, Núñez scored a brace in the stoppage time to win the game against Brentford.[82] In a season marked by struggles for goalscoring form, Núñez regardless won his first Premier League title with Liverpool, becoming the second Uruguayan to achieve this feat followingDiego Forlán.[83]
Al-Hilal
On 9 August 2025, Núñez joinedSaudi Pro League clubAl-Hilal. The fee was reported to be €53 million without bonuses.[84][85][86][87] A month later, on 13 September, he scored his first goal in a 2–2 draw withAl Qadsiah.[88]
Núñez also took part in the2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup, scoring in the opening match, a 3–1 overNorway. He scored the opening goal in a 2–0 overNew Zealand in the final group match, to help Uruguay finish top ofGroup C. His country was eliminated from the tournament following a 3–1 loss toEcuador in the round of 16.[90]
Núñez was also in the under-22 team that finished in fourth place at2019 Pan American Games in Peru, scoring in a 2–0 opening win overthe hosts.[91]
Núñez was called up to theUruguay senior team forfriendlies againstCosta Rica and theUnited States in September 2019. He made his international debut on 16 October in a 1–1 draw away toPeru in a friendly match, replacingBrian Lozano in the 75th minute of the game and scoring five minutes later.[92] In June 2021, Núñez was included in the final 26-man Uruguay squad for the2021 Copa América in Brazil. Due to a right knee injury that would rule him out for two months, he missed the tournament.[93][94]
Núñez was selected in Uruguay's squad for the2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.[95] Uruguay were eliminated in the group stages of the tournament, after finishing belowSouth Korea on goals scored.[96] Núñez was lauded for his form in thequalifiers for the2026 FIFA World Cup, scoring a stoppage-time equaliser in a 2–2 draw againstColombia on 13 October 2023,[97] scoring and assisting in a 2–0 victory againstBrazil on 18 October,[98] scoring in a 2–0 victory againstArgentina on 17 November[99] and scoring a brace in a 3–0 victory againstBolivia on 22 November.[100] For this latter performance, compatriotLuis Suárez stated: "I have one of the best No. 9s in the world ahead of me."[100]
In June 2024, Núñez was called up to represent Uruguay at the2024 Copa América in the United States.[101] He scored his first international hat-trick in a 4–0 friendly win againstMexico shortly before the tournament.[102]
Núñez is a right-footed player, possesses an athletic frame, excellent acceleration and sprinting speed is the defining facet of his athletic skillset, with his change of pace giving him the ability to create immediate separation.[103][104][105][106][107][108][109] He also has good awareness, he scans space and makes decisions when moving relative to the ball, space, team-mates and opponents.[108][109] Núñez is a disruptivestriker with a dynamic range of mobility who can carry counter-attacks, make incisive movements around the box and strike the ball explosively.[108][109] He is adept at attacking open spaces and is good at generating shots from varied situations.[108][109] He is also a promising creator around the box and is also capable of playing as aleft winger.[108][109][110][111][112][113] Núñez usually opts to rely on intelligent positioning and timing of runs in between defenders, specially in attacking the space between a fullback and centre-back at the backpost, often initially curving his run away from the centre back before moving back infield. He often makes adjustments to his footwork to find space in the box and he also uses his body either to avoid a foul, but forcefully enough to arrive at a cross ahead of his marker.[108][109][114] His playing style has led him to be compared to fellow Uruguyan forwardDiego Forlán,Edinson Cavani andLuis Suárez.[115][116] For his somewhat unpredictable style of football, Núñez is often referred to as the "Agent of Chaos".[117][118]
During his spell at Benfica, underJorge Jesus andNélson Veríssimo, Núñez played in a variety of positions and systems. He played as a striker and a left inside-forward in a4–4–2 and3–4–3 formations, with the responsibilities in these roles, shifting on Benfica's ball possession or counter-attacking approaches for games. His ability to drift into the box and create space was a major part of his game, while also being aided by the presence of another striker (eitherHaris Seferovic orGonçalo Ramos), which enabled Núñez to vacate his wide position to take up more positions in the penalty area.[114][108][109]Jamie Carragher has said of Núñez: "I think he's got [similarities to]Fernando Torres. He's got that power, physically, to knock defenders off. And that blistering pace."[119]
Personal life
Núñez and his partner Lorena Mañas announced the birth of their first child, a son, in January 2022.[120] In addition to his native Spanish, Núñez also speaks Portuguese.[121]
Career statistics
Club
As of match played 22 November 2025
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
^Gregorio, Paco (27 October 2019)."Darwin y Lazo sacan al Almería del bache (3–2)" [Darwin and Lazo pull Almería out of their slump (3–2)].Diario de Almería (in Spanish). Retrieved12 January 2022.
^Pereira, António Pedro (15 September 2020)."PAOK 2–1 BENFICA. KO no jogo um" [PAOK 2–1 BENFICA. KO in game one].Diário de Notícias (in Portuguese). Lisbon. Retrieved12 January 2022.
.jpg)
.jpg)
