Darwin Nunez has revealed that he considered quitting football during his teenage years.
The striker has been with Liverpool for the past two years, joining from Benfica in a transfer that could reach a club-record £85 million.
Since his arrival at Anfield, Nunez has scored 33 goals and provided 17 assists in 96 appearances, contributing to the team’s Carabao Cup victory last season.
Now 24, Nunez is currently on international duty with Uruguay as they pursue Copa America success. Recently, he admitted that he almost gave up on his football career before it even started.
In a Premier League Q&A session (via ESPN) with fellow South American teammates Luis Diaz and Alexis Mac Allister, Mac Allister mentioned his greatest fear was suffering a career-ending injury.
This prompted Nunez to share that he had a serious knee injury while playing for Peñarol at age 19, and the frustration nearly led him to retire.
Nunez said: “It happened to me when I was 19, I almost stopped playing football, I didn’t play for a year and a half due to a knee injury. I couldn’t take it anymore, I wanted to leave.”
Diaz was sidelined for six months with a knee injury during his time at Liverpool. The winger sustained the injury during a loss to Arsenal in October 2022 and encountered a setback in his recovery process.
“A long-term injury makes you think about many things, you have to be psyched that it will turn out well,” Diaz said.
“A long-term injury makes you think about many things, you have to be mentally prepared that it will turn out well”
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