Darwin Nunez set Europe alight in 2021/22, scoring 34 goals in 41 appearances as his former employers Benfica reached the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League and a third-placed finish in the Portuguese top-flight.
His exploits in the last year shot him to prominence, leading the 22-year-old to become one of the most coveted players in Europe.
Manchester United had recorded serious interest in Nunez this window, though on June 14 the Uruguayan was finally confirmed as bound for Anfield, as Liverpool confirmed they had completed their long pursuit.
Nunez was Jurgen Klopp's number one transfer target, as the German coach seeks to replace the outgoing Sadio Mane, who has made clear his desire to move on to pastures new after six seasons at the club.
Here, The Sporting News takes a look at what all the fuss is about and Nunez's pathway to stardom on the European stage, as well as casting an eye towards what the future could hold for the Uruguayan in the coming months.
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How much has Darwin Nunez cost Liverpool, is he a club-record signing?
Liverpool are known to be cautious with their transfer budget, but they have spent big to bring Nunez to Anfield.
Although the Reds themselves have not disclosed the terms of the transfer, Benfica had already made the details public prior to the Premier League club confirming the deal.
In a statement, Benfica revealed that the transfer was worth an initial fee of 75m euros (£64m/$78m), rising to a potential 100m euros (£85.5m/$104.6m) with add-ons, if the player is a success at Liverpool.
Those add-ons reportedly range from how many goals he scores to whether the Reds win the Champions League.
Assuming those clauses are met, that means Nunez could eventually become Liverpool's club-record signing, surpassing the £75m ($89.9m) paid to sign Virgil van Dijk from Southampton in 2018.
When did Darwin Nunez join Benfica?
It's fair to say that Nunez, who displayed his talents at the business end of the Champions League last season, did not take a conventional route to such a stage.
After coming through the ranks in his homeland with Penarol, he joined Spanish second-tier side Almeria on a five-year deal in 2018 — a move that netted his boyhood club £3.4 million.
Nunez was swiftly into his work in Spain and a 16-goal season was enough to persuade Benfica to splash out £20m on the youngster.
O momento decisivo em Amesterdão... ⚽️🙂💪
— UEFA.com em português (@UEFAcom_pt) March 19, 2022
🔴 𝘿𝙖𝙧𝙬𝙞𝙣 𝙉úñ𝙚𝙯 🇺🇾@Darwinn99 | @SLBenfica | #UCLvideo | #UCL pic.twitter.com/vCPJABQ097
On the face of it, 11 goals from 24 starts and 36 appearances overall in 2020/21 was nothing to get overly excited about, but eye-catching flashes of pace, strength, intelligent link play and keen striking instincts were enough to keep the Nunez hype-train motoring.
In January 2021, The Telegraph reported Manchester City had earmarked Nunez as a potential successor to Sergio Aguero, while an illustrious compatriot had already mapped out a different career path. Now, he is heading to one of their main rivals to front up their new-look attack.
Is Darwin Nunez the next Luis Suarez?
Liverpool fans know all about Uruguay’s impressive heritage when it comes to producing elite strikers, having enjoyed Luis Suarez’s action-packed tenure at the club.
Suarez went on to excel at Barcelona and was keen for Nunez to do likewise, having been impressed by his efforts at Almeria.
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"I recommended Darwin to Barcelona when he was at Almeria," Suarez told Spanish journalist Gerard Romero on Twitch.
"I have 15 years of international experience. I know a thing or two about forwards. And I told them, 'Pay attention to this one, he's very good, he shows interesting things'.
"They told me he was at Almeria and that he was too young. But instead of paying now €80m, €90m or €100m, they would've paid €15m or €20m and have him there as a substitute."
Suarez's acrimonious departure from Barcelona in 2020 means there might be fair bit of points-scoring going on here, but it's not all bitterness and parochialism.
In terms of similarities between the two, keen anticipation, cute movement and a lethal right foot are instantly apparent. Nunez's play also displays the selflessness for which his compatriot was famed when he operated alongside Lionel Messi and Neymar at Barcelona.
Indeed, Nunez's relatively lower goal return in 2020/21 can in part be put down to former Benfica boss Jorge Jesus asking him to do a selfless job on the left of the attack and occupying the right-back. He scored six goals in 29 Primeira Liga outings that season.
Playing as a central striker in the Europa League, he fired five in seven and Nunez's efforts in his natural position this term place him among the elite.
How does Darwin Nunez compare to Erling Haaland and Robert Lewandowski?
The ex-Benfica forward’s 34 goals, which included a hat-trick against Belenenses on April 9, came in 41 appearances in 2021/22.
He scored five more goals than Erling Haaland last term, although the Borussia Dortmund star had to endure a string of injury troubles across the campaign.
Nunez, at 1.20, boasts a better goals-per-90-minutes rate in league football than Haaland (0.96) last season and also outstrips many of Europe's best strikers in this regard.
Robert Lewandowski's 50 goals in 46 appearances might put him in a category of his own, but Nunez quite clearly justifies the hype.
Naysayers will make claims over the relative weakness of Portugal's top flight, although six goals in ten Champions League appearances — including scoring against Liverpool home and away was enough to send the rumour mill into overdrive.
What has Jurgen Klopp said about Darwin Nunez?
Speaking ahead of the transfer, Klopp was very impressed with Nunez's performance in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League quarterfinal clash.
Prior to the return fixture at Anfield, the Liverpool manager told reporters at the time that the forward was at the beginning of a promising career.
"An extremely good looking boy, eh?" he said of the player. "He is a really good boy — he played in front of me battling against [Ibrahima] Konate.
"He was calm for the finish. He is good, really good. If he stays healthy, he has a big career ahead of him."
What shirt number will Darwin Nunez wear at Liverpool?
Eager Liverpool fans were awaiting the confirmation of Nunez's signing so they can get their hands on a jersey with his name and number. Upon the announcement of his signing, Liverpool released photos of the player in the No. 27 jersey.
Who's getting @Darwinn99 on the back of their shirt, Reds? 🤟🔴#DarwinDay — Liverpool FC (@LFC) June 14, 2022
Reds fans will remember that was the number worn by club cult hero Divock Origi, who became a free agent this summer and agreed to join AC Milan in Italy.
The jersey has been worn in the past by names like Gregory Vignal, Haukur Gudnason, Mark Gayle, Philipp Degen, and Stephen Pears, according to a list by compiled by Transfermarkt.
It was speculated that if Mane completes a move to Bayern Munich — the Bundesliga champions have already had two bids rejected for the Senegal star — Nunez could have been handed the No. 10 next season.
The club are not required to confirm their squad list to the Premier League until July, so they had a chance to wait for developments on Mane's future. Instead, they've already handed him a No. 27 jersey that is fondly regarded by Reds faithful.
What has Darwin Nunez said about his Liverpool transfer?
In his first interview upon joining the club, Nunez was quick to outline his ambition for success.
He said: "I'm really happy and delighted to be here at Liverpool. It's a massive club.
"It's a pleasure to be here in Liverpool and I’m very happy to be a part of this great club.
"I've played against Liverpool and I’ve seen them in lots of games in the Champions League, and it's my style of play. There are some great players here and I think it's going to suit my style of play here.
"As I say, I've watched quite a lot and it's a very big club and I hope I can give everything that I’ve got in order to help the team.
"When I arrived at the training ground, I was really surprised to see the set-up and the structure and all the trophies here. You can then imagine yourself winning more trophies and then later on when you come here again and see the trophies on display, you can say, 'Look, I was a part of that, I was there at that time, winning trophies.'
"That’s one of the reasons why I came here to Liverpool — to win trophies and titles. I want to win a lot of trophies at Liverpool."
