Champions League

DARWIN NUNEZ is set to be the face of one of the summer’s biggest transfer sagas.West Ham came close to snapping up the £60m-rated Benfica striker in the January window on deadline day before a late collapse.
Nunez showed his ability against Liverpool in the Champions LeagueCredit: Getty
The Benfica striker has attracted attention from the Premier LeagueCredit: Reuters
And now, some of the biggest clubs in Europe are set to join the chase in a bid to secure the services of a Uruguayan who has announced himself on the European stage this season.
As well as scoring an incredible 24 goals in 20 starts domestically, Nunez, 22, has five goals in five Champions League starts.
This includes a brace against Barcelona, one against Bayern Munich, one against Ajax and most recently one at home versus Liverpool in their quarter final first leg.
And as he prepares for the second leg back at Anfield, it is important to understand the player and the person behind the incredible goal-scoring statistics that could soon be arriving in the Premier League.
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Nunez grew up in a poor neighbourhood called Los Piratas in Artigas – a Uruguayan village on the borders of Brazil.
His upbringing in football was a tough one, suffering potentially significant knee injuries that required surgery as an 18-year-old.
Despite this, his biggest attribute was always one of physicality and power, and after scoring 16 goals in his first season with Spanish second division outfit Almeria, Benfica took a punt on Nunez in September 2020 signing a five-year deal for a club-record £20m.
Upon completing that move, it is said Nunez cried with his father in their family home having achieved his dreams after overcoming his knee issues.
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But despite adapting well to the Portuguese league in his first season, the tears soon returned as his knee troubles resurfaced in May 2021.
Those closest to him explain how emotions spilled over after he was subbed during a game against Farense, sobbing on the bench clutching his knee, raging with then-boss Jorge Jesus.
Another poor performance against Sporting Lisbon, where he was clearly playing through the pain, saw him delete his social media account after feeling the wrath of the Benfica fans.
More knee surgery that summer meant he missed the first few weeks of the 21/22 campaign but came back strong, and has been an unstoppable force since.
Nunez is described by those who know him best as reserved and now in control of his emotions, especially as he has recently become a father.
And since returning to social media, he has even embraced a meme targeting his long hair, and now often celebrates goals by pointing to it.
WHERE WILL HE GO?
Should he get his big move abroad, no one will be laughing at him. His representatives believe he is ready with Portuguese football always seen as a launch pad.
But which club will he choose? SunSport understands that despite admiring Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, Nunez and his camp do not see it as the perfect fit.
In their eyes, he needs space to run, a physical style of play and a guarantee of minutes, with Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham all preferable locations, while Manchester United is viewed as more of a risk due to their current situation.
Just watching him against Jurgen Klopp’s men in the quarter final first leg in Lisbon showed what he is capable of, bravely battling with Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate before pouncing on the latter’s mistake with a true poacher’s finish.
Benfica manager Nelson Verissimo claims Nunez should be valued at the same amount that Joao Felix was when he left for Atletico Madrid for £113m in 2019.
But Benfica were willing to part with Nunez for around £65m in January, and there is an understanding he will be allowed to leave for a similar fee in a few months.
Especially given that super-agent Jorge Mendes will be leading the negotiations.
Wherever he ends up, Nunez will be ready and determined to seize his moment.
It is unlikely Nunez will choose Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City as his next clubCredit: Reuters More

MANCHESTER CITY star Jack Grealish was spotted sporting a pink tracksuit ahead of the side’s Champions League clash in Madrid on Wednesday.Grealish, 26, is reportedly “on the verge” of landing a lucrative seven-figure sponsorship deal with Italian brand Gucci.
Grealish wore a pink tracksuit with socks tucked into his trainersCredit: Cavendish
The 26-year-old is reportedly signing a seven-figure deal with GucciCredit: Cavendish
The England star will head to Madrid this week to face Atletico in the Champions League quarter-finalCredit: Cavendish
The midfielder worn a bright pink hoodie and matching bottoms with plain white socks tucked into white Nike trainers.
Grealish became Britain’s most expensive footballer with his £100million transfer to City last summer, putting pen to paper on a £230,000-a-week contract at the Etihad.
But now he is ready to sign another agreement, this time with fashion giant Gucci.
Grealish, 26, regularly wears their luxury designer garments and was seen wearing an £800 hoodie last week.
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And according to The Athletic, the playmaker is about to secure the clothing deal.
The report adds having a sportsperson land this type of role is virtually unheard of.
Instead it is usually actors and musicians who would promote the labels in this way.
But it is a testament to Grealish’s global recognition and appeal that he is closing in on this landmark contract in a World Cup year.
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City will head to Spain to face Atletico in a tasty return leg in the quarter-finals of Europe’s most elite competition.
Pep Guardiola’s men take a 1-0 lead into Wednesday’s crunch match.
The boss was forced to step in to stop a confrontation between Jack Grealish and his Madrid antagonists in the first bout.
The England star came on for the final 30 minutes at The Etihad but had an eventful match.
Seconds after coming on he was bundled over by Rodrigo De Paul and that was just a sign of things to come.
He was fouled throughout and at one point, while lying on the ground, Angel Correa smashed the ball at the winger, hitting Grealish’s face.
Tensions eventually boiled over with Grealish confronting the opposition leading Guardiola to shove his own player to keep him out of trouble.
Even as the referee blew for full-time Atletico players were still trying to get under Grealish’s skin, with Šime Vrsaljko and Stefan Savic aggressively shouting in his face and pointing fingers. More

UEFA have ordered a partial closure of the Wanda Metropolitano to punish Atletico Madrid in their game against Manchester City.The sanction comes after Uefa charged Atletico with “discriminatory behaviour” due to the behaviour of away fans at the Etihad last week.
Some Atletico fans appeared to make Nazi salutes last weekCredit: Reuters
Cameras caught supporters appearing to gesture Nazi salutes during City’s 1-0 win.
A group of around five men, dressed all in black and sat at the front of the second tier, were filmed repeatedly making the gestures.
And now Uefa have ordered the closure of a minimum 5,000 seats for the return leg which is set to take place on Wednesday.
The decision was made following an investigation by Uefa after it opened up disciplinary proceedings against Atletico.
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The ruling means only 63, 456 spectators will be allowed inside the stadium – but the allocation of the travelling City fans has not been affected.
It is a blow for Atletico who need all the support they can get to overturn a 1-0 aggregate deficit.
Kevin De Bruyne’s winner separated the two teams in the first leg but Pep Guardiola’s side dominated from start to finish with 15 shots and 71 per cent possession.
Atletico failed to produce a single shot in the match and defended resolutely until Phil Foden produced a moment of class to send De Bruyne through on goal.
More to follow…
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