Matheus Nunes is the player you're not watching, and that's precisely the point

In an era of £100m galacticos and TikTok highlight reels, the most valuable footballer in Manchester City's squad is not Erling Haaland, not Kevin De Bruyne, not even Rodri. It's Matheus Nunes, the Portuguese midfield ghost who has quietly become the fulcrum of Pep Guardiola's machine.

From Sporting's prodigy to City's forgotten man

Signed for £44m from Wolves in 2023, Nunes arrived with the whiff of a panic buy, a squad filler to satisfy the homegrown quota. Yet eighteen months on, his statistics whisper a different story. His pass completion rate of 91.7% ranks in the top 2% of Premier League midfielders, and his 1.8 progressive carries per 90 minutes places him alongside Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice. But unlike those England darlings, Nunes toils in the shadows, the ultimate utilitarian in a squad of artists.

Compare him to the man he replaced, Ilkay Gundogan, who left for Barcelona in 2023. Gundogan was the attacking midfielder who ghosted into the box; Nunes is the metronome who dictates the rhythm from deep. He may not score the winner in a derby, but he ensures City never lose control. In the 2023-24 title run-in, when City won 12 of their last 13 games, Nunes started nine of those, and his presence coincided with a 74% win rate, versus 55% without him. Numbers that would make any data analyst blush.

The case for Nunes: three reasons he's indispensable

  • His ball retention under pressure is elite — 86% of his passes succeed under high press, a skill that allows City to escape the most aggressive opposition blocks.
  • His tactical versatility: deployed as a 'false full-back', a double pivot partner, and even a right-sided eight in the same season, he provides Guardiola with the chess piece to adapt to any opponent.
  • His defensive contribution is invisible but vital — he ranks first among City midfielders for tackles won (2.1 per 90) and interceptions (1.3), shielding a vulnerable back line that has aged.

But is he just a system player? The counter-argument, dismantled

Critics will argue Nunes is a product of Guardiola's system, a cypher who would flounder at a lesser club. They point to his time at Wolves, where he failed to shine in a mid-table side. Yet this ignores the context: at Molineux, he was asked to be a creator, a role that doesn't suit his profile. At City, he is used as a disruptor, a player who breaks opposition lines with his carries and then recycles possession. This is not a limitation but a tactical maturity — he understands his game, something the likes of Jack Grealish have yet to master.

Look at the recent friendly against Valencia, where City's new goalkeeper Rulli was the headline, but Nunes pulled the strings in central midfield, completing 92% of his passes and setting up the opener with a line-breaking pass. This is not a flash in the pan; it's a pattern. In the Champions League final against Inter in 2023, he came on as a late substitute to shore up the midfield, completing every pass he attempted. He is the insurance policy that allows City's superstars to gamble.

The verdict: Nunes will be the difference in the 2024-25 title race

Arsenal may have spent £200m on Declan Rice and Kai Havertz, but they lack a player of Nunes's profile. As the season unfolds, when De Bruyne inevitably suffers injuries and Haaland endures a goal drought, it will be Nunes who keeps City's engine purring. This is not hyperbole; it's a statistical inevitability waiting to be recognised. If City win a fifth consecutive Premier League title, the headlines will laud Guardiola and Haaland, but the true architect will be the man with eight assists and one goal — a player who defines the paradox of the modern game. Mark my words: by May, Matheus Nunes will be mentioned in the same breath as Rodri, not as an afterthought, but as the missing key. And that is a sentence you can hold me to.

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