Former Liverpool forward Luis Suarez has come out in support of his Uruguayan compatriot Darwin Nunez after the current Reds striker came under fire for a glaring miss against Aston Villa on Wednesday night.
Unlike his fellow South American, who he has described as his “idol”, Nunez has developed a reputation for spurning golden opportunities during his Liverpool career. The erratic No 9 was presented with an open goal in the second half of the midweek trip to Villa Park only to blaze his effort high and wide.
Liverpool boss Arne Slot revealed that Nunez was “down and disappointed” after his blunder but proceeded to criticise his diminished work-rate after the miss. The Uruguay international responded to this rapidly unravelling sequence of events with a social media post of “resilience”. “If I fall, I get up,” he wrote. “You’ll never see me give up.”
Suarez was among the thousands of users on X who replied to Nunez’s post, sending his international protege a message of encouragement.
Claro GOLEADOR, así te quiero! Esa es la actitud, siempre positivo. Vamo arriba! 👊🏼⚽️
— Luis Suárez (@LuisSuarez9) February 20, 2025
“Of course, GOAL SCORER,” Suarez wrote, emphasising Nunez’s prolific reputation, “that’s why I love you. That’s the attitude, always positive. Let’s go!”
Suarez is very familiar with the demands of leading the line for Liverpool. During his three-and-a-half years on Merseyside, the wriggling menace racked up 82 goals in 133 games, including a record-breaking 31 in his final Premier League season for the club. Suarez also has experience of consoling Nunez.
After a particularly harsh half-time team talk from Uruguay’s national team manager Marcelo Bielsa during a landmark victory over Argentina in November 2023, Nunez was left in tears. Suarez told his teammate: “You are here because of your own merit, because of how hard you work, you are a goalscorer and you are the best.
“You have to continue like this, forget what others say. Wash your face, go out and smash it.”
Nunez emerged from the interval to score Uruguay’s second goal in a 2-0 victory which ended Argentina’s 14-match winning run, handing the global champions their first loss since the 2022 World Cup.
Perhaps this virtual rallying cry from Suarez will inspire Nunez when Liverpool take on Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium this weekend.
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