There are some players who completely divide opinion. One of those is Darwin Nunez. You either love him or you don’t. He’s basically football’s version of marmite.
But the reality is truer than what he represents in peoples’ imaginations. Those who don’t rate him, don’t actually realise the quality that the Uruguayan possess. Nunez has so many unique traits. From his energy to his speed, and his ability to constantly pepper the goalkeeper with shots.
It should come as no surprise that Nunez averages a goal contribution every 87 minutes for Liverpool. Nor that he has scored the most match-winning goals for the Reds this season with six in total. Double that of Mohamed Salah’s tally of three, and triple Diogo Jota’s tally of two.
But it’s not just the numbers that reflect his quality. It’s also the recognition he gets from his fellow or former professional players.
Speaking on BBC 5 Live’s the Monday Night Club, Micah Richards was full of praise for Darwin Nunez. The former Manchester City defender described Nunez as exceptional, and admitted he wouldn’t like to play against him.
“I think he’s exceptional,” Richards said.
“I don’t think the comparison with Haaland was fair, I know he scored a lot of goals at Benfica, but I just think he is an all action striker. Brilliant to watch. He is one of those players you would love to have on your team, but when he is on the opposition team you are just going ‘oh I’m up against Nunez today, I’m going to have a right battle on my hands’. He’s doing well and long may it continue. I think he’s scoring important goals and that’s the biggest difference.”
Richards is not the first former professional footballer to praise Nunez so highly. And when you see so many players full of praise for the Uruguayan, you realise just how good he truly is.
Nunez is one of the best forwards in the world, just as Luis Suarez has said recently. He is also indispensable to this Liverpool team right now.
