Darwin Nunez opens up about his time at Al Hilal – ‘I hope no one has to go through what I did.’
Darwin Nunez recently opened up about his tough time at Saudi club Al Hilal, saying he “would never want anyone to go through an experience like mine.” The 27-year-old striker moved to Al Hilal from Liverpool last summer for around £56.6 million. But things changed quickly after the famous Karim Benzema joined the team in January.
Nunez was surprisingly left out of the squad for the second half of the Saudi Pro League season because of strict rules limiting foreign players. Benzema, reportedly earning £2 million a week, took one of those spots. Unfortunately, Nunez missed out along with former Arsenal defender Pablo Mari.
“At the time, the coach said it was a tough decision but part of his job,” Nunez explained. “He wanted us in all competitions but had to follow the rules.” Nunez, who earned around £400,000 a week, had scored six goals in 14 league games before being dropped from the team plans.
Though still under contract with Al Hilal, Nunez is now playing on loan at newly promoted Al-Diriyah. After scoring two goals in a recent match, he thanked his family for always supporting him through the hard times.
“I’m glad to be playing and scoring again,” he said. “Even one goal would have made me happy, but two is amazing. The heat made the game tough, but the team worked hard. I’m especially thankful to my wife and kids for staying by my side and keeping my spirits up.”
“It was a difficult time, but I always believed the sun comes out after the storm,” Nunez added. “Now, I’m happy to be back doing what I love.”
In his most honest interview yet, Nunez shared more about those challenging months at Al Hilal. “It was very hard for me and my family not being able to play,” he said. “No one wants to go through something like that because we all want to compete and enjoy football. But I’ve moved on and feel good now.”
He gave credit to his family for helping him get through it. “They were my biggest support every day. Even when I couldn’t play, I tried to stay positive and help the team however I could.”