the training ground was quiet that morning except for the sound of boots hitting grass and the whistle of the cold manchester wind the kind of day when the air bites your face and you can see your breath drift away like smoke but inside the etihad training complex pep guardiola’s eyes were glowing with that restless energy he always had his players could feel it even before he spoke because when pep starts smiling like that something big is coming
matheus nunes was there too stretching by the touchline his shirt already soaked with sweat though training hadn’t even begun properly he looked different these days more confident calmer more sure of himself he had gone from being a midfielder who couldn’t quite find his rhythm to a player who was suddenly becoming the story everyone wanted to talk about and it was pep guardiola who had seen it first
when city signed nunes from wolves for fifty three million pounds people expected another slick midfielder who would glide through games like de bruyne or silva but it didn’t happen the premier league can be cruel and nunes struggled he looked lost at times his first touch wasn’t bad his runs weren’t lazy but the spark just wasn’t there some fans even said he wasn’t city level others whispered that he might be sold in the next window but pep never gave up on him
pep had always believed football was about reinvention he had turned midfielders into defenders wingers into strikers and full backs into playmakers before so when kyle walker left for ac milan last season and city suddenly looked thin on the right side of defence the catalan genius started thinking differently he saw nunes training one afternoon tracking back faster than anyone else tackling hard and bursting forward like a thunderbolt and something clicked in pep’s mind
that was the birth of a new idea matheus nunes the right back
at first even nunes himself didn’t understand it he had played all his life in midfield he was used to being in the middle of the storm dictating play passing moving linking but now pep was asking him to stand wide defend run forward and think differently but pep saw something special a hidden fire he believed nunes could be not just good but world class in this new position
it started as an experiment a few minutes at right back against brentford a trial to see if he could handle it but he did more than handle it he shined he sprinted up and down the flank like a man possessed winning tackles bursting into space whipping dangerous balls into the box city fans noticed they started cheering his name again and pep just nodded with that quiet satisfaction of a man whose plan was working
“matheus can be an incredible right back,” pep said in the press room later that day his voice calm but his eyes full of conviction “because he’s a holding midfielder with incredible physicality going back if he’s focused he can become one of the best”
those weren’t just empty words pep doesn’t give compliments easily not even to players he loves when he said “one of the best” everyone knew he meant it
since then everything changed for nunes he was no longer fighting for a place in midfield he was fighting to make history as city’s next great full back he had to fill the shoes of kyle walker a player whose pace and power had defined an era and yet nunes wasn’t trying to copy him he was creating his own version of the role more technical more creative almost like a midfielder disguised as a defender
in training the other players began to notice too john stones said he was impressed by how quickly nunes adapted rico lewis watched closely learning from the older man even the coaches whispered about how sharp he looked his fitness his timing his discipline all improving every week
and on matchdays the fans started seeing what pep had seen all along in the game against brentford nunes not only defended well but also joined attacks with confidence he was fearless in tackles composed on the ball and full of energy when he charged forward you could hear the roar from the stands they loved his aggression and his heart he played as if he was trying to make up for all the months he’d struggled in midfield
pep’s belief in transformation wasn’t new he’d done it before he turned fabian delph into a left back at manchester city he had turned joshua kimmich into one at bayern munich and philip lahm into one of the smartest tactical defenders the world had ever seen so for him turning nunes into a world class right back was just another project another masterpiece in progress
the story of nunes and pep is one of patience and trust because football can be cruel when the spotlight turns cold a player can disappear but under pep city’s dressing room had a different kind of energy nobody is truly written off as long as they work hard enough and believe long enough
when nunes first joined city from wolves he was shy the dressing room was full of stars de bruyne haaland rodri grealish foden names that filled headlines every week but nunes stayed quiet his football did the talking though it wasn’t loud enough at first now it speaks volumes when he touches the ball there’s confidence when he runs you see purpose and when he tackles you hear the sound of someone fighting for his future
after city beat villarreal 2-0 in midweek pep couldn’t hide his pride again he spoke about his team’s form their momentum their hunger “we have good momentum,” he said “but not the consistency for ninety minutes we’re starting to understand opponents and what we want to do especially without the ball our mentality and body language is in the right spot but we need to play better during ninety five minutes”
those words showed everything about his standards even in victory he demanded more from his players and from nunes especially he saw this moment not as an ending but as a beginning because for pep every player is a project every match a lesson every mistake an opportunity to grow
inside the dressing roomnunes has become more vocal too he speaks to young players encourages them trains longer than most and jokes more often he’s no longer the quiet new guy from wolves he’s part of the heart of this city team his confidence is contagious
some fans online now call him “the portuguese machine” others compare him to modern full backs like hakimi and cancelo because of how fast and intelligent he plays but nunes doesn’t read the comments too much he keeps his focus on training he knows how quickly things can change in football one bad game and the same people praising you can turn against you
pep often reminds his players that greatness is not a moment it’s consistency it’s the ability to perform even when you’re tired or doubted or under pressure and nunes listens carefully because he knows he’s on a journey he hasn’t arrived yet but he’s on the road to something special
the transformation of matheus nunes is a reflection of guardiola himself a coach who never stops evolving who refuses to accept limits who can take what looks like a failing experiment and turn it into a masterpiece nunes wasn’t the first and won’t be the last but his story is one that will be remembered because it’s about second chances about belief about turning doubt into strength
as city prepare for their next match against aston villa the focus is on maintaining their momentum they haven’t won at villa park since 2021 but they go there unbeaten in nine games the atmosphere in training is light but focused everyone knows the stakes are high the premier league title race is tightening arsenal united liverpool all chasing but pep just smiles he knows his team thrives under pressure
in one corner of the training ground nunes works alone after the session ends practicing crosses sprinting up and down the sideline the coaches watch silently one of them mutters to another “he’s really becoming something else”
later that evening pep walks past him pats him on the shoulder and says quietly “remember matheus it’s not about playing right back it’s about being the best version of you” nunes nods and smiles because he knows what that means it’s not just tactics it’s trust it’s about the fire inside
and somewhere deep down in manchester as the sun sets and the sky turns grey blue the story of matheus nunes continues a player reborn a coach vindicated and a club that never stops dreaming
for now he’s still learning still growing but one day maybe soon people will look back and say that was the moment when matheus nunes stopped being a midfielder who couldn’t fit in and became one of the best right backs in the world just like pep guardiola said he could be
and when that happens when he stands on the pitch at the etihad crowd roaring his name the world will remember how it all began with one man’s belief and another man’s hunger and a dream that turned into destiny
