Liverpool's €100m striker Darwin Nunez and his Premier League journey against the odds

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When the spotlight flashed on his face, his trembling hand finally signing the contract that will make him aLiverpool player until 2028, his thoughts will likely have drifted back into his past.

He will remember his childhood in El Pirata, a working class neighborhood in Artigas, which is located next to the Cuareim River, which is prone to flooding. He will remember the nights he went to bed without dinner and the struggles of his mother, who had to sell bottles in the streets to make ends meet. He will think of his father coming home tired after a long day at the construction site and trying to find a pair of boots for his son.

There is a story worth telling, one of sacrifice and overcoming obstacles, not to mention the fact that Nunez almost quit football two times.

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As a teenager, Nunez ran around the streets of El Pirata. Jose "El Chueco" Perdomo, a former star player at Penarol, stood on the sidelines as he watched his friend play on a remote pitch.

As soon as the match was over, El Chueco headed to the parents of the skinny kid who caught his eye. At the bus station a few days later, 14-year-old Darwin said goodbye to his parents as he headed off to the capital city.

Darwin was cut after the first few training sessions.

Nunez told me in an article that he didn't stay there. I returned to Artigas. I came back after a year. He told me I would need to go to Penarol. I told my family I was staying.

Junior Nunez went back to Artigas to help his family after Darwin's struggles. Darwin was told by his brother to stay put.

Don't leave here." You have something to look forward to. Junior made a gesture that will always be remembered by Darwin.

After two and a half years in the academy, Leonardo Ramos promoted him to the senior team at 16. He asked his agent to bring his parents to the country.

Young Darwin was promoted to play against Sud America at the park. Darwin twisted his knee as he fell after jumping for the ball in the middle of the game. An operation was required to repair a tornACL. He didn't step on the field for 18 months.

It was a hard time. He said he wanted to stop playing football. There was only one way for me to work. I had to think of an eight hour shift.

The sacrifice his older brother made for him was what kept Darwin going. Darwin was able to play again, but there was a crushing blow about to come.

He was called up to play against River Plate in November of last year. Darwin was called onto the field in the 63rd minute to replace Rodriguez. He left the field in tears due to the pain in his knee. He had to have an operation on his knee.

In October of last year, Darwin scored his first goal after returning from a year away. Nunez was called up to the under-20 squad that played in the World Cup in Poland. He was part of the team that competed in the Pan American Games. After scoring his first senior club goal a year earlier, he made his national team debut in a friendly against Peru and scored the only goal of the game.

The transfer of Penarol to Almeria was confirmed in August. He and his family were going to change forever. The life of Nunez seemed to be a fairy tale. He would be able to fulfill his dream.

The house we owned in Artigas fell apart when we moved to Montevideo. I will be able to purchase a house for my parents.

The European transfer window began in September 2020. He was the most expensive transfer in the history of the Primeira League when he was transferred from Almeria.

Nunez's career has progressed at a rapid rate. He moved to Europe and became the most expensive signing in Portuguese football history after just five years of playing. He's one of the most expensive transfers of all time, withLiverpool potentially spending as much as 100m to sign him

He doesn't forget about his past, despite all that, and he is still the same kid he was. He shared an image of the door of his old house on social media. I will always remember where I come from.

If you spent a lot of time going to bed without having dinner, how can you not remember a place?

He said that he went to bed empty-handed. My mother was the one who went to bed with an empty belly most often because she didn't have enough to eat. I grew up in a poor neighborhood. Sharing things with friends helped me learn.

I went to school full time when I didn't have anything to eat. I left at 3 in the afternoon after getting in at 7 a.m. When I got out of school, I went to training sessions. She went to the street to collect bottles and sell them to my brother and I. I don't think about that.