Darwin Nunez is moving from Benfica to Liverpool. The Uruguayan player may have been the most expensive Reds’ signing ever, but his family used to have a hard time making ends meet.

In a number of appearances, the former Almeria striker talked about his childhood. He will never forget what his mother gave up so that he and his brother could eat every day.

In one of those talks, Nunez said, “Yes, I went to bed alone and hungry.”

My mother, on the other hand, went to bed the most often hungry. She made sure we ate first, my brother and I. When my mom went to bed, she never came to eat with us. I will always remember where I come from.

A rough start for Darwin Juan Nunez

One of the best teams in Uruguay first got in touch with Darwin in 2013 when a Penarol scout took him from Artigas to Montevideo for a trial.

Nunez, who was 14 years old at the time, didn’t sign for Penarol. Instead, he went back to live with his parents in Pirata, a town on the Cuareim River.

Following a year, he would get another chance when he tried out for Penarol. He had another failure after signing with the Uruguayan club.

“You stay, you have a future, I’m leaving,” said his brother, who was plying his trade in the third division, after a family problem occurred.

When Nunez was 16, he tore his knee ligaments and couldn’t play for a year and a half. He spent this time in Artigas with his family before, on his return to Penarol, coach Leo Ramos called him up to join the first team and make his official debut.

The youngster came on for Maxi Rodriguez, but the pain caused by the ligament surgery led him to finish the game in tears.

He had another surgery, this time to repair his kneecap, but he recovered well enough to be included in the South American U-20 Championship squad for 2019.

Nunez struggled there, receiving criticism for his lack of a finishing touch and a performance that fell short of expectations.

He therefore sought guidance from a psychotherapist on how to handle the circumstance. However, his talent allowed him to flourish and travel to Europe, where he first joined Almeria and later moved to Benfica. Getting him now has cost Liverpool more than any other player in the team’s history.

His mother used to host sales of bottles.

In an interview with Referi, Nunez recalled all that his parents did to be able to bring food home, as well as the sacrifices to be able to buy him football boots.

“I don’t forget where I come from, a humble, hard-working family,” Nunez said a few years ago.

“My father worked eight or nine hours in construction to buy us what we needed and to eat.

“My mother was always a housewife and would go out on the streets to collect bottles to sell.”

The record that caught the attention of big European teams

Aged 22, Nunez has established himself as one of the finest strikers in Europe. Last season, he scored 34 goals and registered four assists in 41 games for Benfica.

Nunez became the Uruguayan player with the most goals in the campaign, as neither Edinson Cavani nor Luis Suarez enjoyed much playing time.

It should also be noted that he also became the youngest Uruguayan player to score in a Champions League game at the age of 22 years and 264 days.