Darwin, the “fish out of water” that falls in love in Portugal

24 million through, Benfica obtained the services of Darwin Núñez in what has been the most expensive sale in the history of the Second Division. Almería thus lost their most valuable player, who was going to one of the greats of Portugal with the aim of showing that they were prepared for such a qualitative leap. Three games later, it has already made room, Nevertheless. While the Andalusian club is studying how to make up for its departure without losing promotion options, the Uruguayan 'devil' is already showing all his self-confidence on the pitch in the neighboring country.

He made his debut against PAOK in the Champions League. Not in eleven, as he was almost a newcomer. He played 25 minutes in the second half and could not work the comeback for his own. Falling out of the Champions League was the first blow. However, he amended it before Famalicao as a starter. In the victory by a goal to five, the attacker gave two assists although the goal was resisted. Before the Moreirense has confirmed sensations. They won theirs 2-0, thanks in part to giving Seferovic the second goal of the afternoon.

Of course, he is not yet adapted or, at least, that is what his coach considers. Jorge Jesus He spoke openly about his conditions and his football so far. “He could have scored a goal, but he gave another layup assist to a teammate. He is still a fish out of water, when he has a ball he knows what to do, but when he does not have it, he does not know“, explained the technician in a press appearance.

Growth margin

Last summer, Almería made a considerable investment to qualify for the silver category, incorporating a young talent from Peñarol for seven million euros. Unlike other of his movements, with a performance below expectations, the Uruguayan scored 16 goals, put on the hero's cape, grew as the weeks went by and was the great protagonist of Almeria's success. Finally, the promotion was not achieved. Who knows if he would be playing at the moment in LaLiga Santander if the Playoff had brought other results.

Even so, Benfica, who were following him closely, had no doubts in betting on his talent. Jorge Jesús himself considers that his career has no ceiling and that the investment has been worth it: “I am sure that we have succeeded with the player. He is 21 years old and has a great margin of growth. For him it is a new world, but he has all the conditions to succeed “.

He has won over the fans

Although Jorge Jesús prefers to be cautious and speak of Darwin as a promise and not as a reality, some fans cannot bear the expectation and rave about the level that the former Almería player has shown so far. “Has the will to speak of the bad. That he has not marked is not synonymous with that he has not done it well. The quality is there“says a fan.” Excellent player “,” it will end up being cheap “,”I doubt we can keep it here more years“or” this child was a great investment “are some of the most repeated comments by benfica fans.

Darwin, of course, continues to be out of focus and focused on the day to day. He has already shown in Almería that responsibility does not weigh on his back and does not change his attitude when he hears comparisons with Cavani or Luis Suárez. He is a voracious forward to the spaces, where he exploits his maximum potential. He is also quick and tactically smart, although he still has some time to explore Benfica's schemes. With Uruguayan character as a flag, he is a worker in pressure and does not save on effort. Currently, only Thiago Santana of Santa Clara has participated in as many goals as he.

The shadow of RDT

Darwin Núñez begins his stage in Lisbon with an inevitable name behind his shadow: Raúl de Tomás. Last season, Benfica trusted their attack on a man who had shone in Spain and spent a figure close to 20 million euros on him. Six months later and without having had hardly any prominence, he left for Espanyol. At least the Portuguese club managed to recoup the investment. He barely counted on him, playing only seven Liga NOS games without celebrating any goal. Yes he did it in the Allianz Cup, the Taça de Portugal or the Champions League. His figures were poor and he left the club without leaving a mark.

The Uruguayan responds to exactly the same profile, despite being different footballers. Only time will tell if his career at Benfica evolves in the same way. His youth is an endorsement, but also a handicap. At least, money will no longer be a recurring message in low hours. With the sale of Rubén Días to Manchester City, the Lisbon entity has already more than recovered the investment of the Second Galactic that already falls in love with Portugal.