The rise of the Portuguese international has been carefully watched ever since Pep Guardiola described him as one of the best midfielders in the world after City’s victory over his Sporting CP side in February 2022.
Following a successful first season in the Premier League with Wolves, he made the move to the champions in August.
Nunes described it as “a dream come true” and said it was an easy decision to join the Club who had just won the Treble.
On top of that, he joined up with international team-mates Ruben Dias and Bernardo Silva as well as fellow Portuguese speaker Ederson from the country of his birth.
And working under Guardiola, who had been so enthusiastic about his talents just 18 months earlier was another big attraction for the midfielder, who signed days after his 25th birthday.
Like many City signings, it can take time to acclimatise to a new system and competing for a starting place in a squad stocked with star names.
Nunes has had to be patient for his opportunities at times but has also shown the potential that he offers something unique.
An ability to play in a number of positions across midfield adds to the City manager’s arsenal with so many player capable of taking on different responsibilities.
One of the biggest strengths of Nunes’ game is his power in carrying the ball at pace, shifting City into a quick attack with his directness and strength.
That was showcased in our success at the FIFA Club World Cup in Saudia Arabia where we claimed the trophy with wins over Asian champions Urawa Red Diamonds and Copa Libertadores champions Fluminense.
Nunes played the full 90 minutes against Japanese side Urawa and was unfortunate not to get his first goal for the club in a dynamic display.
He was twice denied by fine saves from Shusaku Nishikawa but it was his forceful run that led to the opener, driving at the Diamonds’ defence, exchanging passes with Bernardo before his dangerous cross was diverted in by Marius Hoibraten.
And in the final, he came off the bench to continue our bombardment of Brazilian side Fluminense and teed up Julian Alvarez for the final goal of an emphatic 4-0 victory.
Nunes finished the season with five assists, although he is still waiting for his first goal.
Against Nottingham Forest in his first Premier League start, his cross picked out Erling Haaland to put us on our way to a 2-0 victory.
And he set up the opener for Alvarez in the 3-1 win over Burnley in January.
He also had a hand in goals against Young Boys and Red Star Belgrade in the Champions League, as we progressed from the group stage with a 100% record.
While our exit in the Champions League to Real Madrid was agonising after a penalty shootout defeat, the previous round was painful for Nunes for a different reason.
During the 3-1 victory over FC Copenhagen, he fell awkwardly on his hand and suffered a broken finger with gruesome images showing his digit pointing in the wrong direction.
But he was back in the squad for the following fixture and featured in six of our final nine matches on our way to a record-breaking fourth title in a row.
After completing his first season with a title winner’s medal, Nunes showed that there is plenty more to come.
2023/24 stats
Appearances: 31
Starts: 16
Minutes: 1,555
Goals: 0
Assists: 5
In his own words
“It has been very good and I am very happy to be here. I wanted to be here. Fighting for titles is what I want and I just want to help the team as much as I can in every minute that I have.
“I think I have developed a lot. Working with the best brings out the best in you. I have improved my mental strength as well because you go into this team and you want to play every game and you have to be patient, strong and wise to wait for your chance.”
Pep on Nunes
“It takes time for a player when they arrive to settle with every member of the team.
“Everyone is delighted to have him in the locker room; he has a specific quality that we didn’t have [before]. His transition play is one of the best I ever seen.
“The way we play and the dynamic, sometimes we need a little bit longer, but for specific things, he is fantastic.”
