From Anfield Enigma to Riyadh Rampage: Darwin Núñez Is Catching Fire at Al Hilal

Liverpool’s recruitment has long been the envy of Europe, but even the best get the odd call slightly off. Darwin Núñez was box office in flashes at Anfield, if not the finished article — 40 goals and 26 assists across 143 games tell you there was end product, just not always when it mattered. After Arne Slot steered the Reds to the 2024/25 title, Núñez bade farewell, with Liverpool ushering in Hugo Ekitike and Alexander Isak and the Uruguayan taking his chaos-and-power act to Simone Inzaghi’s Al Hilal.

From Anfield to Riyadh: the reset

He’s still only 26, already 36 caps and 13 goals for Uruguay, and crucially now Liverpool’s fourth-costliest signing on the books after their 2025 splurge shuffled the rankings. At Al Hilal, he’s walked into a star-studded side featuring Ruben Neves, Kalidou Koulibaly and Sergej Milinković-Savić — a set-up built for a striker who attacks space like a sprint champion.

Early returns: sharp, direct, productive

Núñez’s debut came at the end of August in a 2-0 win over Al-Riyadh, 85 minutes without the net bulging but plenty of menace. He opened his account next time out in a 2-2 draw with Al-Qadsiah, then served up a tidy assist for Malcom in the 24th minute of a 3-3 thriller against Al-Ahli. A knee knock kept him out of a 3-1 win over Al-Okhdood, but the comeback was pure theatre: a brace and an assist in a 5-0 dismantling of Al-Ettifaq.

Five appearances, four goals, two assists — that’s a striker settling quickly into new surroundings.

The Ettifaq masterclass: by the numbers

Leading the line alongside Marcos Leonardo in a proper two-man front, Núñez delivered a complete centre-forward’s shift against Al-Ettifaq. He played the full 90, had 35 touches (five inside the box), and all three of his efforts hit the target. He created three chances, completed his only dribble, and even chipped in defensively: four of eight ground duels won, plus a tackle, two clearances and two recoveries. Add a 9.4 match rating to the lot and you’ve got the standout performance of his Al Hilal tenure so far.

What it means for Al Hilal

The Premier League to the Saudi Pro League is a step down in standard, no getting around it, but that also means a ruthless runner like Núñez can feast. Al Hilal missed the title by eight points last season to Al-Ittihad; plug this version of Núñez into a side already stacked with control and creativity, and those margins can be flipped.

If you’re weighing up form and futures, the smart money is already peeking at the best betting sites for where this goes next — and Núñez’s trajectory screams goals, goals, goals.

Voices around Núñez: belief growing

Former Liverpool man Vladimir Šmicer reckons there’s a Premier League encore in the post, praising Núñez’s work-rate and insisting the missed chances shouldn’t define him. Over in Saudi, the Al Hilal faithful are smitten — hailing him as the league’s standout striker after that Ettifaq demolition, with some even cheekily putting him in front of Cristiano Ronaldo on current form. That’s the sort of buzz he couldn’t always sustain on Merseyside; here, it’s building by the week.

Pundit’s verdict

This is the Núñez proposition in high definition: relentless movement, direct running, numbers on the board and a growing cold streak in front of goal that Liverpool fans only saw in bursts. Keep him fit, keep him supplied, and he’ll tear through SPL defences for fun. Whether that bridges back to England is a debate for later — for now, Al Hilal have a forward who looks like he’s finally matching the chaos with composure.

Statistics via FotMob, correct as of 19/10/2025.