Matheus Nunes

Executive Summary

Matheus Luiz Nunes is a Portuguese right-back born on 27 August 1998, currently at Manchester City. The player has been used by Pep Guardiola in a consistent right-back role this season as City navigate a demanding fixture calendar.

Playing Style and Key Attributes

Guardiola has leaned into positional flexibility and Nunes has moved from midfield to full-back, a shift he describes as very different and one of the hardest positions because you face the best players in every team. The role requires reliability, athleticism and tactical intelligence, attributes that have allowed him to emerge as the first-choice option.

Earlier assessments of his midfield profile highlighted a rare combination: defensively stable and duel strong, outstanding passing qualities, speed like a winger, ball carrying and 1v1 behaviour, and a very safe finish. The conversion to right-back retains the technical base and ball progression while adding defensive exposure on the flank.

Career and Recent Context

Nunes came through Ericeirense from January 2012, progressing through the youth categories and stepping up to the senior side in January 2016 before joining GD Estoril Praia in January 2018. He arrived at Sporting CP U23 in January 2019 for a fee of €950k and was promoted to the first team in January 2020.

At City the 2025/26 campaign shows 52 matches and 4,115 minutes with 1 goal and 9 assists across all competitions. In the current 2026/27 season he has played 303 minutes in 4 matches, coming on from the bench once, with the season still in progress.

Transfers and Outlook

City continue to monitor external options such as Tino Livramento and several European prospects, but performances from within the squad have given Guardiola and sporting director Hugo Viana time on recruitment decisions.