Matheus Nunes
Nunes training with Sporting CP in 2021
Personal information
Full name Matheus Luiz Nunes[1]
Date of birth (1998-08-27) 27 August 1998[2]
Place of birth Rio de Janeiro, Brazil[3]
Height 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)[2]
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Manchester City
Number 27
Youth career
2012–2016 Ericeirense
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2016–2018 Ericeirense 13 (2)
2018–2019 Estoril 6 (0)
2019–2022 Sporting CP 76 (7)
2022–2023 Wolverhampton Wanderers 36 (1)
2023– Manchester City 8 (0)
International career‡
2021– Portugal 11 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:55, 27 December 2023 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23:08, 2 December 2022 (UTC)

Matheus Luiz Nunes (European Portuguese: [mɐˈtewʒ ˈnunɨʃ]; born 27 August 1998) is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Premier League club Manchester City and the Portugal national team.

Nunes started his career with Ericeirense, before moving to LigaPro side Estoril. During his time with the club, Nunes played mostly in the reserve team, before moving to Primeira Liga side Sporting CP in January 2019. With Sporting, Nunes won a Primeira Liga title and back-to-back Taças da Liga in 2021 and 2022, while being part of the squad that won a double in 2021, leading to him being named in the Primeira Liga Team of the Year in 2022. In August, Nunes signed with Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers for a club-record transfer worth €45 million (£38 million), before moving to fellow Premier League side Manchester City the following season.

Born and raised in Brazil until 12 years old, Nunes opted to play for the Portugal national team, and made his senior international debut in 2021, representing the side at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Club career

Early career

Born in Rio de Janeiro, his father left his family,[4] Nunes moved to Ericeira, Lisbon District at the age of 12 with his mother and his English stepfather.[5] He started playing football with local side Ericeirense in the 6th division, and to help his family he also worked at his godfather's bakery for a short period while playing.[6]

Nunes made his senior debut for Ericeirense during the 2015–16 season, in the Lisbon Football Association. He started the 2017 pre-season on trial at Oriental, but was not signed due to a thigh injury, and subsequently returned to his first club.[7]

Estoril

Nunes signed with Estoril in the summer of 2018. He made his debut in the LigaPro on 14 October in a 2–2 draw against Varzim, starting but leaving injured shortly before the end of the first half.[8][9] During most of his spell, he was associated to the reserve team.[10]

Sporting CP

On 29 January 2019, Nunes joined Sporting CP of the Primeira Liga on a five-and-a-half-year contract for a €500,000 fee for half of his economic rights, and a €45 million buyout clause.[11][12] His performances against Sporting for Estoril in the Taça da Liga group stage in the 2018–19 season was noted by Sporting scouting team, who decided to sign him.[13]

After playing for the club's under-23 team, Nunes received his first call-up to the first team by manager Rúben Amorim on 4 June 2020, coming on as a second-half substitute in the 2–2 draw at Vitória de Guimarães in the Primeira Liga.[14] On 23 October, he agreed to a contract extension by a further year, increasing his buyout clause from €45 million to €60 million, with the club deciding to pay Estoril €450,000 for the other half of his economic rights.[15][16]

Nunes scored his first goal in the Portuguese top division on 2 January 2021, closing the 2–0 home victory over Braga.[17] His second came the following 1 February, in injury time to help the hosts defeat Benfica 1–0 in the Derby de Lisboa, being named man of the match.[18] Following the departure of João Mário, he earned a permanent place in the starting eleven, and on 15 September, on in his UEFA Champions League debut, he provided an assist for Paulinho in a 5–1 away defeat to Ajax.[19] After helping Sporting on a run of six consecutive league wins, including the Derby de Lisboa against Benfica, where provided an assist and scored a goal in a 3–1 away victory, Nunes was named the league's Midfielder of the Month for the months of October and November.[20] On 15 February 2022, in the first leg of the round of 16 tie of the Champions League, despite his team 5–0 home loss to Manchester City, Pep Guardiola, who was impressed by the calibre of Nunes' performances, praised him as "one of the best players in the world".[21]

Wolverhampton Wanderers

Nunes playing for Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2022

On 17 August 2022, Nunes signed a five-year contract with English Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers for a club-record transfer worth €45 million (£38 million), surpassing the former record signing compatriot Fábio Silva.[22][23]

Nunes made his Wolves debut three days later, as a starter in a 1–0 defeat against Tottenham Hotspur at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the Premier League on 20 August 2022.[24] Nunes made his home Premier League debut in a 1–1 draw with Newcastle United at Molineux on 28 August 2022.[25] Nunes scored his first goal for Wolves in their 1–0 home win against Chelsea on 8 April 2023.[26][27]

During the early stages of the 2023–24 season, Nunes began a dispute with Wolves over his desire to leave the club after they had rejected a transfer bid for Nunes worth £47 million from Manchester City.[28][29] Nunes failed to turn up for training with the club, without the permission of manager Gary O'Neil, for two consecutive days in a bid to secure a move away from the club and was to be subsequently fined.[30][31]

Manchester City

On 30 August 2023, it was reported that a £53 million bid from Manchester City with no additional add-ons had been agreed.[32] The transfer was confirmed on 1 September 2023. The Portuguese international signed a five-year deal with the reigning European and English champions.[33]

Nunes made his Manchester City debut on 16 September, coming off the bench to replace Phil Foden on the 67th minute of a 3–1 league victory away at West Ham United.[34] Three days later, he made his first start for the Citizens, playing the full 90 minuted in a 3–1 home win over Red Star Belgrade in the UEFA Champions League.[35] Four days later, Nunes made his first Premier League start for City, playing the full match in a 2–0 home victory over Nottingham Forest, where he assisted Erling Haaland for the second goal.[36] Nunes won his first trophy at City on 22 December, as the Mancunian side defeated Fluminense 4–0, with Nunes assisting Julian Álvarez's winning goal in the 2023 FIFA Club World Cup final.[37]

International career

On 8 August 2021, after living in the country for ten years, Nunes received his Portuguese passport.[38] Late in that month, on his 23rd birthday, he was called up by Brazil national team manager Tite as one of nine replacements for the players based in the United Kingdom, for three 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Chile, Argentina and Peru;[39] He refused the call, as he would have had to quarantine on return due not having the complete COVID-19 vaccination.[40] Ultimately, Nunes decided not to represent his country of birth, after he was contacted by Portugal's national team manager Fernando Santos, who convinced him to represent Portugal.[41]

Nunes was called by Santos on 30 September 2021 for World Cup qualifiers against Luxembourg and a friendly with Qatar.[42] He won his first cap on 9 October, starting the 3–0 friendly win over Qatar in the Algarve.[43] He scored his first international goal the following 22 March in a 3–1 home win over Turkey in the semi-finals of the qualification play-offs.[44]

In October, he was named in Portugal's preliminary 55-man squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar,[45] being included in the final 26-man squad for the tournament.[46]

Style of play

Nunes is usually deployed in double pivot in 3–4–3 formation, operating as a number 8 looking to get forward and contribute to the attack and also has a good passing range, as he can make different types of passes whether he is looking to switch the play or try and break lines with penetrative passes, or passes that split the opposition backline, which he is highly effective at. He also has the ability to carry the ball and make progressive runs, using a combination of speed and strength to make these runs, while also displaying good technique on the ball. Nunes also possesses good anticipation and reading of the game, which allows him to make effective interceptions and challenges.[47]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 7 January 2024[48][49]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup League cup Continental Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Ericeirense 2015–16 Lisbon FA 81————81
2016–17 Lisbon FA 51————51
Total 132————132
Estoril 2018–19 LigaPro 600020——80
Sporting CP 2019–20 Primeira Liga 1000000——100
2020–21 Primeira Liga 31330302[lower-alpha 1]0—393
2021–22 Primeira Liga 33361406[lower-alpha 2]01[lower-alpha 3]0504
2022–23 Primeira Liga 21000000—21
Total 767917080101018
Wolverhampton Wanderers 2022–23 Premier League 3412030——391
2023–24 Premier League 20————20
Total 3612030——411
Manchester City 2023–24 Premier League 8010105[lower-alpha 2]01[lower-alpha 4]0160
Career total 139101211101302017711

International

As of match played 2 December 2022[50]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Portugal 202130
202281
Total111
As of match played 24 March 2022
Scores and results list Portugal's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Nunes goal.[50]
List of international goals scored by Matheus Nunes
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
124 March 2022Estádio do Dragão, Porto, Portugal Turkey3–13–12022 FIFA World Cup qualification

Honours

Sporting CP

Manchester City

Individual

References

  1. ↑ "FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™: List of Players: Portugal" (PDF). FIFA. 18 December 2022. p. 22. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 November 2022.
  2. 1 2 "Matheus Nunes". Premier League. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  3. ↑ "Matheus Nunes" (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
  4. ↑ "Matheus Nunes dedica título à mãe: ″Faço tudo por ela. Nunca soube o que era ter um pai″" [Matheus Nunes dedicates title to his mother: ″I do everything for her. I never knew what is like to have a father″]. www.ojogo.pt (in European Portuguese). Retrieved 17 October 2022.
  5. ↑ "Matheus Nunes explica bom domínio do inglês com raízes familiares" [Matheus Nunes explains his good command of English with his roots] (in Portuguese). Notícias ao Minuto. 18 August 2022. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
  6. ↑ Cassucci, Bruno; Zarko, Raphael (27 August 2021). "Quem é Matheus Nunes, a novidade de Tite que estava na mira de Portugal e foi padeiro no início da carreira" [Who is Matheus Nunes, Tite's new face who was poised for Portugal and was a baker at the beginning of his career] (in Portuguese). Globo Esporte. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
  7. ↑ Esteves, Adérito (2 February 2021). "De chumbado no Benfica a mina de ouro de Varandas: quem é Matheus Nunes?" [From not making the cut at Benfica to Varandas gold mine: who is Matheus Nunes?] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
  8. ↑ "Estoril-Varzim, 2–2: Empate caseiro chegou nos descontos" [Estoril-Varzim, 2–2: Home draw arrived in injury time]. Record (in Portuguese). 14 October 2018. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
  9. ↑ "Estoril 2–2 Varzim". Record (in Portuguese). 14 October 2018. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
  10. ↑ Silva, Tiago (24 May 2020). "Olheiro BnR | Matheus Nunes" [BnR scout | Matheus Nunes] (in Portuguese). Bola Na Rede. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
  11. ↑ "Matheus Nunes já assinou pelo Sporting" [Matheus Nunes has already signed for Sporting]. Record (in Portuguese). 29 January 2019. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
  12. ↑ ""Sporting pode exercer opção por Matheus Nunes até janeiro"" ["Sporting may exercise option on Matheus Nunes until January"] (in Portuguese). Notícias ao Minuto. 20 May 2020. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  13. ↑ Amaral Santos, Francisco (18 February 2022). "Dos elogios de Pep ao reencontro especial. A 'explosão' de Matheus Nunes" [From praise from Pep to special meeting. The 'explosion' of Matheus Nunes] (in Portuguese). Notícias ao Minuto. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  14. ↑ Roseiro, Bruno (4 June 2020). "Sporting esteve duas vezes em vantagem mas não foi além do empate em Guimarães (2–2) – como aconteceu" [Sporting were ahead twice but could only draw in Guimarães (2–2) – how it happened]. Observador (in Portuguese). Retrieved 19 April 2021.
  15. ↑ "Oficial: Matheus Nunes renova com o Sporting até 2025" [Official: Matheus Nunes renews with Sporting until 2025]. Record (in Portuguese). 27 October 2020. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  16. ↑ "Matheus Nunes é leão a 100%: notícia Record oficializada" [Matheus Nunes is 100% a Lion: Record news confirmed]. Record (in Portuguese). 18 February 2021. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  17. ↑ Pereira, António Pedro (2 January 2021). "Sporting 2–0 Sp. Braga. Leão imbatível abate minhotos" [Sporting 2–0 Sp. Braga. Unstoppable Lion downs men from Minho]. Diário de Notícias (in Portuguese). Retrieved 19 April 2021.
  18. ↑ Ribeiro, Patrick (1 February 2021). "Matheus Nunes the hero in Sporting's late smash-and-grab versus rivals Benfica". PortuGOAL. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
  19. ↑ "Sporting Lisbon 1–5 Ajax". BBC Sport. 15 September 2021. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
  20. ↑ "Matheus Nunes vence prémio de melhor médio do mês" [Matheus Nunes wins best midfielder of the montha ward] (in Portuguese). Notícias ao Minuto. 14 December 2021. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
  21. ↑ "Guardiola diz que "Matheus Nunes é um dos melhores do mundo" e que resultado com o Sporting "não espelha a diferença entre as equipas"" [Guardiola says that "Matheus Nunes is one of the world's best" and that the result against Sporting "does not reflect the difference between the teams]. Expresso (in Portuguese). 16 February 2022. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  22. ↑ "Wolves complete record Nunes move". Wolverhampton Wanderers FC. 17 August 2022. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
  23. ↑ "Matheus Nunes: Wolves sign Portugal midfielder for club record £38m fee". BBC Sport. 18 August 2022.
  24. ↑ Sutcliffe, Steve (20 August 2022). "Tottenham Hotspur 1–0 Wolverhampton Wanderers: Kane's 250th Tottenham goal takes them top". BBC Sport. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
  25. ↑ Stone, Simon (28 August 2022). "Wolves 1–1 Newcastle Utd: Allan Saint-Maximin volley earns Newcastle a point". BBC Sport.
  26. ↑ Summerscales, Robert (8 April 2023). "Matheus Nunes Scores First Goal For Wolves With Spectacular Thunderbolt Against Chelsea". FanNation. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  27. ↑ Johnston, Neil (8 April 2023). "Wolverhampton Wanderers 1–0 Chelsea: Frank Lampard's first game as interim boss ends in defeat". BBC Sport. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  28. ↑ Stone, Simon (24 August 2023). "Matheus Nunes: Wolves reject Man City's £47m offer for Portugal midfielder". BBC Sport. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
  29. ↑ Fisher, Ben (24 August 2023). "Transfer roundup: Wolves reject £47m Manchester City bid for Matheus Nunes". The Guardian.
  30. ↑ Stone, Simon (28 August 2023). "Matheus Nunes: Wolves midfielder to be fined after missing training". BBC Sport. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
  31. ↑ Fisher, Ben (28 August 2023). "Matheus Nunes goes on strike in attempt to seal Manchester City move". The Guardian.
  32. ↑ Stone, Simon (31 August 2023). "Matheus Nunes to Man City: Premier League champions agree £53m deal to sign Wolves midfielder". BBC Sport. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  33. ↑ "City secure Nunes signature". Manchester City F.C. 1 September 2023. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
  34. ↑ Meyers, Billy (17 September 2023). "Manchester City fans react to Matheus Nunes debut after £53m move from Wolves". Manchester City News. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
  35. ↑ Marrett, Adam (21 September 2023). "Matheus Nunes makes an immediate impact in first start for City". Esteemed Kompany. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
  36. ↑ "Ten-man Man City show silk and steel to extend Premier League lead". France 24. 23 September 2023.
  37. ↑ "Manchester City 4–0 Fluminense". BBC Sport. 22 December 2023. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
  38. ↑ Soares Ribeiro, João; Granada, Ricardo (8 August 2021). "Matheus Nunes disponível para representar Portugal: uma década para o sonho" [Matheus Nunes available to play for Portugal: a decade for the dream]. Record (in Portuguese). Retrieved 28 August 2021.
  39. ↑ "Seleção brasileira convoca nove jogadores para a data FIFA de setembro" [Brazil national team call up nine players for FIFA schedules in September] (in Portuguese). Brazilian Football Confederation. 27 August 2021. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
  40. ↑ "Seleção brasileira: Tite revela conversa com Matheus Nunes e diz por que jogador não se apresentou" (in Portuguese). ESPN Brasil. 1 September 2021. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  41. ↑ "Matheus Nunes decide não se apresentar à seleção brasileira" [Matheus Nunes decides against reporting to the Brazilian national team] (in Portuguese). TNT Sports. 27 August 2021. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  42. ↑ Gouveia, Ricardo (30 September 2021). "Seleção: a lista de convocados de Fernando Santos" [National team: Fernando Santos' squad selection] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  43. ↑ "Portugal 3–0 Qatar – Diogo Costa, Matheus Nunes & Rafael Leão make their Seleção debuts". PortuGOAL. 9 October 2021. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  44. ↑ "Otavio, Jota, Nunes and a penalty miss send Portugal through". Marca. 24 March 2022. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  45. ↑ Thanveer, Dakir Mohammed (25 October 2022). "Portugal reportedly name provisional 55-man squad for 2022 FIFA World Cup; Liverpool star receives surprise call up". Sportskeeda. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  46. ↑ "Os 26 convocados de Portugal: Gonçalo Ramos, António Silva, Otávio e Matheus Nunes chamados" [Portugal select 26: Gonçalo Ramos, António Silva, Otávio and Matheus Nunes called] (in Portuguese). SAPO. 10 November 2022. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
  47. ↑ "Matheus Nunes 2021/22: The Portuguese midfielder impressing in the Primeira Liga – Scout Report".
  48. ↑ Matheus Nunes at ForaDeJogo (archived)
  49. ↑ Matheus Nunes at Soccerway
  50. 1 2 "Matheus Nunes". EU-Football.info. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  51. ↑ Kundert, Tom (19 May 2021). "Eye Witness (Portugal): Amorim's Sporting miracle". World Soccer. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  52. ↑ Ribeiro, Patrick (23 January 2021). "Sporting battle their way to League Cup glory with victory over Braga". PortuGOAL. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
  53. ↑ Ribeiro, Patrick (29 January 2022). "Sporting defend their Taça da Liga title in second-half turnaround versus Benfica". PortuGOAL. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  54. ↑ "Sporting CP win Supertaça with victory over SC Braga". Sporting CP. 31 July 2021. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  55. ↑ "Manchester City 4–0 Fluminense". BBC Sport. 22 December 2023. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
  56. ↑ "Liga: Matheus Nunes eleito o melhor médio de outubro e novembro" [League: Matheus Nunes voted best midfielder for October and November] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. 14 December 2021. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
  57. ↑ "Liga Nos Team of the season". A Bola. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
  58. ↑ "Nunes volley voted Budweiser Goal of the Month". Premier League. 12 May 2023. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
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