His mother collected bottles on the street to buy his boots and today his pass is worth 100 million euros

Silvia Ribeiro and Bibiano Núñez accepted that in 2013 a scout from Penarol take your 14 year old son Artiga a Montevideo. There, 600 kilometers away, was the older brother, Juniorforging a footballer’s dream. Darwin He packed his bags and arrived in the Uruguayan capital, but he didn’t stay. He went back to his parents Piratea settlement on the banks of the Cuareim River that when it grows it has the strength of the Amazon and takes everything in its path.

At that time, Darwin Nunez he ate at school and was the only guaranteed dish. His father, a bricklayer, couldn’t always stop the jar. Her mother used to go out to collect bottles to buy boots when the ones she no longer gave away. A year after Peñarol’s frustrated attempt, the definitive opportunity arrives: he begins living in the club’s pension and training in the lower ones.

But the happiness was short-lived. His brother dropped out when he was in the Third Division and had already started training with the pros. It was due to a “family problem” that was never made public. Darwin also packed his bags to return to Artigas. “You stay, you have a future. I’m going”Junior told him. “He gave me the opportunity”Darwin recognized.

At 16 they promoted him to the Third Division and broke his cruciate ligaments. They operated on him, but he was a year and a half without playing. He returned to Artigas “a work eight hours, as they say in Uruguay. But then he went back to Peñarol and things fell into place again.

Darwin, however, was not well after the surgery. He hurt him and he felt he couldn’t play. But he didn’t refuse to do so when First Division technical director Leo Ramos told him he would sit on the relay bench over the weekend.

He came to replace maxi rodriguez. He finished the game crying in pain: this time it was his kneecap and they had to operate again. Twice to the operating room in a very short time. Just like the first time, the player has recovered and the call-up for the South American 2019 has arrived with the Celeste Sub 20.

But he failed to score goals and criticism began to multiply in the anonymity of social networks. “I went online a lot, I saw comments that I didn’t like and that made me feel bad. This started to get me down and Axel, the national team psychologist, helped me a lot”he explained when he said he uses his cell phone alone talk on the phone.

After three seasons in Peñarol, he made the leap to the old continent: one season in Almeria from Spain and from there to benfica Portugal, where he scored last season 34 goals in 41 games.

Half Cavani, half Suarez

“He has a similar style to (Edinson) Cavani, but I think Darwin is faster and more powerful. He is much more explosive and apart from that explosiveness he obviously showed an incredible ability to score goals. He is half and half between (Luis) Suarez and Cavani. He has the strength that Suárez had to do everything, to go to the fight and fight with his rival. And he also has the part of Cavani, much more athletic, more physical and intelligent. I think it is a union of these two what’s this”Leo Ramos summarized.

All of this saw Liverpool (England’s, not his payments), offering him a contract for six seasons in exchange for a salary equal to that of Cristiano Ronaldo or Leone Messiwhich also includes bonuses for personal and group goals.

The 100 million euros he will pay for his practice – 80 percent of a basic agreement and the remaining 20 variables that complete the final number – were enough for him to be disaffected by the selection for “medical reasons”, without anyone. had an interest in asking questions.

When the operation is completed, it will be the highest pass for a Uruguayan footballer, as it will exceed the over 80 million paid Barcelona for Luis Suárez in 2014 and the 64 that PSG spent for Cavani a year earlier.

“I don’t forget where I come from. A humble and hardworking family. My father worked in construction for 8 or 9 hours to buy what we needed and eat. My mother was always a housewife and went out to the street to collect bottles to sell them. “, Núñez told the Referí sports supplement a long time ago. And apparently, he still thinks the same way.