Darwin Núñez, once bought by Liverpool for 85 million euros and later signed by Al-Hilal for 53 million euros, is under fresh scrutiny after another anonymous international outing for Uruguay. In a recent half against Saudi Arabia, he touched the ball only seven times, including the kickoff, and was sent to the bench by Marcelo Bielsa ahead of the match against Cape Verde.
The article argues that Núñez has repeatedly been cast as the answer to other stars, first Erling Haaland, then Cristiano Ronaldo, and now Luis Suárez, but has not lived up to those comparisons. At Liverpool, where he arrived from Benfica after a prolific spell in Portugal, he was often praised for physicality, pace and movement, yet over three seasons he was plagued by missed chances and never became a permanent starter under Jürgen Klopp or Arne Slot.
His move to Saudi Arabia was supposed to offer a reset, but it brought similar problems. He scored his last league goal in January, was removed from the squad in February because of the foreign-player limit, and alternated between strong and poor performances at Al-Hilal. The piece also notes that the Saudi league can become a “golden cage” for high-paid stars facing harsh expectations and limited crowds.
With Uruguay, the pattern has continued. Núñez has gone two years and 10 matches without scoring for the national team, after 13 goals in his first 29 appearances. The article says his most memorable international moment was a Copa America brawl with Colombia fans after a semifinal defeat. Liverpool coach Arne Slot said, “He works like crazy. I can live with his misses, he scored important goals for us. I cannot live with his behavior after those misses.” Núñez later posted, then deleted, a message saying he was called a failure after being praised as the best only weeks earlier.
Now 26, approaching what is usually a striker’s peak years, Núñez may face a decisive moment against Cape Verde. A strong performance could revive his standing with a major European club, while another failure would deepen the sense that his career is becoming one long frustration.
