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Nuno Tavares

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Nuno Tavares
Tavares with Benfica in 2019
Personal information
Full name Nuno Albertino Varela Tavares[1]
Date of birth (2000-01-26) 26 January 2000 (age 26)[2]
Place of birth Lisbon, Portugal[2]
Height 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)[2]
Position Left-back
Team information
Current team
 Lazio
Number 17
Youth career
2009–2010 Casa Pia
2010–2013 Sporting CP
2013–2015 Casa Pia
2015–2018 Benfica
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2018–2019 Benfica B 19 (0)
2019–2021 Benfica 25 (1)
2021–2025 Arsenal 22 (1)
2022–2023 → Marseille (loan) 31 (6)
2023–2024 → Nottingham Forest (loan) 8 (0)
2024–2025 → Lazio (loan) 23 (0)
2025– Lazio 23 (0)
International career‡
2018 Portugal U18 8 (0)
2018–2019 Portugal U19 14 (1)
2019–2023 Portugal U21 16 (1)
2024– Portugal 3 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 23:28, 17 May 2026 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals as of 20:42, 14 October 2025 (UTC)

Nuno Albertino Varela Tavares (European Portuguese: [ˈnunu taˈvaɾɨʃ];[3] born 26 January 2000) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a left-back for Serie A club Lazio and the Portugal national team.

Club career

[edit]

Benfica

[edit]

Born in Lisbon of Cape Verdean descent, Tavares finished his development with Benfica after three years at city rivals Sporting CP and two stints with Casa Pia.[4][5][6] His manager at Casa Pia, João Silva, drove him home from training every day while also allowing his studies to take priority.[7]

Tavares made his senior debut with Benfica's reserves in the LigaPro, his first match being a 3–2 home win against Covilhã on 27 October 2018.[8] He played his first official game with the first team on 4 August 2019, featuring 90 minutes in the 5–0 victory over Sporting in the Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira at the Estádio Algarve.[9] His Primeira Liga bow took place the following week, opening an eventual 5–0 home defeat of Paços de Ferreira and adding two assists.[10] However, his weaknesses were exposed two weeks later in a 2–0 loss to Porto in O Clássico, which led him to return to the B side and lose his place to Tomás Tavares, being limited to occasional domestic cup matches in place of Alejandro Grimaldo.[7]

Following a difficult season, and a video posted on the Instagram account of a friend of Tavares where Grimaldo was referred to in derogatory terms, Benfica decided to sell the player in spite of his public apologies.[7] During his spell at the club, he made 41 competitive appearances.[11]

Arsenal

[edit]

On 10 July 2021, Tavares joined Arsenal on a long-term contract in a deal worth around £8 million.[12][13] He made his Premier League debut on 13 August, coming on as a late substitute for Calum Chambers in a 2–0 away defeat to Brentford.[14] Following an injury to Kieran Tierney he managed to earn a starting spot, initially achieving good performances and earning praise from coach Mikel Arteta, who especially liked his attacking qualities; however, he also struggled with homesickness, and his defensive frailties, positional mistakes and lapses in concentration led to him being regularly substituted during matches, most notably when he gifted a goal to Diogo Jota in the 4–0 defeat to Liverpool following a misplaced pass.[15][16][17]

Tavares scored his first goal on 23 April 2022, through a calm tap-in after David de Gea had saved Bukayo Saka's curl in the third minute of an eventual 3–1 home win against Manchester United.[18]

Loans

[edit]

On 30 July 2022, Tavares moved to Ligue 1 club Marseille on a season-long loan;[19] he wanted to have the option to sign permanently at the end of the deal, but Arteta refused to sanction it.[20] He scored on his debut, a 4–1 home victory over Reims.[21] He repeated the feat the following matchday, in the 1–1 draw at Brest.[22]

Tavares improved his form under manager Igor Tudor, with his attacking style being put to good use in the latter's system.[23][24] On 2 January 2023, however, in the last minutes of a 2–1 away defeat of Montpellier – he had opened the score at the start of the second half – he gave away a penalty after deliberately kicking Arnaud Souquet in the box and was consequently sent off,[25] being handed a three-match ban for his actions two days later.[26]

On 1 September 2023, Tavares joined Nottingham Forest on loan for the season with a £12 million option to buy.[27] Even though he featured more after his compatriot Nuno Espírito Santo replaced Steve Cooper on the bench in December, he totalled only 12 appearances.[28][29]

Forest did not eventually activate the purchase clause.[30][31]

Lazio

[edit]

On 15 July 2024, Tavares was loaned to Lazio for the 2024–25 campaign with an obligation to buy if certain conditions were met.[32][31] Early into his spell, he created eight goals from nine league appearances, and he provided five assists in the first five.[33][34]

Tavares joined the Serie A club on a permanent basis on 5 June 2025.[35]

International career

[edit]

Tavares won his first cap for Portugal at under-21 level on 10 September 2019, in a 2–0 win in Belarus for the 2021 UEFA European Championship qualifiers.[36] On 7 October 2021, against Liechtenstein in the next edition, he scored the first goal in the 11–0 rout in Vizela.[37]

Tavares was included in a provisional squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar,[38] but did not make the final cut.[39] Courtesy of his Lazio performances,[40] he made his full debut on 15 November 2024, replacing Nuno Mendes late into the 5–1 home victory over Poland in the UEFA Nations League.[41][42]

Media

[edit]

Tavares was involved in the Amazon Original sports docuseries All or Nothing: Arsenal, which documented the club by spending time with the coaching staff and players behind the scenes both on and off the field throughout their 2021–22 season.[43][44]

Career statistics

[edit]

Club

[edit]
As of match played 17 May 2026
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] League cup[b] Europe Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Benfica B 2018–19[45] Liga Portugal 2 120————120
2019–20[45] Liga Portugal 2 70————70
Total 190————190
Benfica 2019–20[45] Primeira Liga 1111030001[c]0161
2020–21[45] Primeira Liga 14040105[d]01[c]0250
Total 25150405020411
Arsenal 2021–22[46] Premier League 2211050——281
Marseille (loan) 2022–23[45] Ligue 1 31620—6[e]0—396
Nottingham Forest (loan) 2023–24[47] Premier League 8040———120
Lazio (loan) 2024–25[45] Serie A 23010—6[d]0—300
Lazio 2025–26[45] Serie A 23050———280
Lazio total 46060—60—580
Career total 151818090170201978

International

[edit]
As of match played 14 October 2025[48]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Portugal 202410
202520
Total30

Honours

[edit]

Benfica

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ "2021/22 Premier League squads confirmed". Premier League. 10 September 2021. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 "Nuno Tavares" (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. Retrieved 29 December 2021.
  3. ↑ "Nuno Tavares em entrevista ao Canal 11!" [Nuno Tavares interviewed by Channel 11!] (in Portuguese). YouTube. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  4. ↑ Da Moura, Bruno (19 May 2018). "Benfica de Luis Lopes é campeão nacional de juniores" [Luis Lopes' Benfica are junior national champions] (in Portuguese). DTudo1Pouco. Archived from the original on 20 December 2019. Retrieved 26 December 2019.
  5. ↑ "Benfica confirma cinco jogadores da formação na pré-época" [Benfica confirm five youth players in preseason]. Diário de Notícias (in Portuguese). 27 June 2019. Retrieved 29 December 2021.
  6. ↑ "Nuno Tavares: outro menino de Lage que a mãe tirou de Alcochete" [Nuno Tavares: another Lage kid that his mother took from Alcochete]. Observador (in Portuguese). 4 August 2019. Retrieved 29 December 2021.
  7. 1 2 3 Lowy, Zach (2 July 2021). "Nuno Tavares' ascent to Arsenal". Breaking The Lines. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
  8. ↑ "Benfica B vence Covilhã e dorme na liderança" [Benfica B beat Covilhã and sleep in first place]. O Jogo (in Portuguese). 27 October 2018. Retrieved 29 December 2021.
  9. 1 2 Ribeiro, Patrick (4 August 2019). "Benfica stick five past Sporting in season curtain-raiser". PortuGOAL. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
  10. ↑ ""Golo do Nuno Tavares? Ninguém estava à espera que ele aparecesse ali, nem eu..."" ["Nuno Tavares' goal? Nobody expected he would appear there, not even me..."]. O Jogo (in Portuguese). 11 August 2019. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
  11. ↑ "Benfica confirma transferência de Nuno Tavares para o Arsenal" [Benfica confirm transfer of Nuno Tavares to Arsenal]. Público (in Portuguese). 10 July 2021. Retrieved 29 December 2021.
  12. ↑ "Welcome Nuno! | Tavares joins us from Benfica". Arsenal F.C. 10 July 2021. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
  13. ↑ "Nuno Tavares: Arsenal sign left-back from Benfica in £8m deal". BBC Sport. 10 July 2021. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
  14. ↑ McNulty, Phil (13 August 2021). "Brentford 2–0 Arsenal". BBC Sport. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  15. ↑ Desmond, Rhys (19 December 2021). "Mikel Arteta – Arsenal – Tactical analysis (2021–22 edition)". The Mastermindsite. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
  16. ↑ "Arsenal loanees Nuno Tavares & Folarin Balogun grab debut goals". Medium. 8 August 2022. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
  17. ↑ Freeman, Will (12 September 2022). "Why Nuno Tavares is enjoying life at Marseille alongside former Arsenal player Matteo Guendouzi". Football London. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
  18. ↑ McNulty, Phil (23 April 2022). "Arsenal 3–1 Manchester United". BBC Sport. Retrieved 23 April 2022.
  19. ↑ "Nuno Tavares joins Marseille on loan". Arsenal F.C. 30 July 2022. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
  20. ↑ Marsh, Dan (12 September 2022). "Mikel Arteta's transfer "solution" vindicated as wantaway Arsenal star thrives". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 17 November 2022.
  21. ↑ Frand, Arthur (7 August 2022). "Ligue 1. L'OM s'amuse face à Reims avec un doublé de Luis Suarez lors de la première journée" [Ligue 1. OM have fun against Reims with Luis Suarez brace in matchday one]. Ouest-France (in French). Retrieved 7 August 2022.
  22. ↑ Pugmire, Jerome (14 August 2022). "Sanchez makes debut for Marseille in a 1–1 draw at Brest". Associated Press. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
  23. ↑ Killen, Stephen; Martin, Laurie (8 September 2022). "Nuno Tavares' crucial Arsenal problem revealed amid Matteo Guendouzi 'flourishing' at Marseille". Football London. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
  24. ↑ "EPL: He doesn't even realise his qualities – Marseille boss, Tudor hails Arsenal star". Saga Gist. 13 September 2022. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
  25. ↑ McAvoy, Callum (3 January 2023). "Arsenal loanee Nuno Tavares 'lost his mind' after getting sent off for horror tackle". Metro. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  26. ↑ "OM. Nuno Tavares suspendu trois matches" [OM. Nuno Tavares with three-match suspension]. Ouest-France (in French). 4 January 2023. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  27. ↑ "Forest sign Nuno Tavares on loan from Arsenal". Nottingham Forest F.C. 1 September 2023. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
  28. ↑ Smart, Ryan (10 April 2024). "What happened to the Arsenal outcast 'kicked out of training' who 'annoyed' Mikel Arteta". SPORTbible. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
  29. ↑ Holland, Josh (21 May 2024). "Arsenal miss out on crucial transfer windfall as Mikel Arteta handed headache". Football London. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
  30. ↑ Critchlow, Dan (21 May 2024). "Arsenal loanee's club confirm they aren't activating purchase clause". Daily Cannon. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
  31. 1 2 Onyeagwara, Nnamdi; McNicholas, James (15 July 2024). "Arsenal defender Nuno Tavares joins Lazio on loan". The Athletic. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
  32. ↑ "Nuno Tavares completes loan move to Lazio". Arsenal F.C. 15 July 2024. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
  33. ↑ "Stat reveals how superb Tavares has been among Europe's top five players". Yardbarker. 16 October 2024. Retrieved 9 March 2025.
  34. ↑ "The Best XI players in Top 5 European leagues: Lazio star joins Barcelona & Bayern Munich duo". Yahoo Sports. 23 November 2024. Retrieved 9 March 2025.
  35. ↑ "Nuno Tavares joins Lazio on permanent deal". Arsenal F.C. 5 June 2025. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
  36. ↑ "Portugal vence Bielorrússia e sobe à liderança do Grupo 7" [Portugal beat Belarus and climb to first place in Group 7]. Record (in Portuguese). 10 September 2019. Retrieved 29 December 2021.
  37. ↑ "Goleada histórica. Seleção de sub-21 vence Liechtenstein por 11–0" [Historic rout. Under-21 national team defeat Liechtenstein 11–0]. Diário de Notícias (in Portuguese). 7 October 2021. Retrieved 29 December 2021.
  38. ↑ Thanveer, Dakir Mohammed (25 October 2022). "Portugal reportedly name provisional 55-man squad for 2022 FIFA World Cup; Liverpool star receives surprise call up". Sportskeeda. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  39. ↑ "Os 26 convocados de Portugal: Gonçalo Ramos, António Silva, Otávio e Matheus Nunes chamados" [Portugal select 26: Gonçalo Ramos, António Silva, Otávio and Matheus Nunes called] (in Portuguese). SAPO. 10 November 2022. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
  40. ↑ Pires, António (8 October 2024). "Nuno Tavares é o expresso de Roma: "Sinto-me cada vez mais em casa"" [Nuno Tavares is the Roman express: "I feel more at home by the day"]. O Jogo (in Portuguese). Retrieved 16 November 2024.
  41. ↑ "Vitinha sparks second-half demolition job as Portugal thrash Poland 5–1 in Porto". PortuGOAL. 15 November 2024. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
  42. ↑ "Nuno Tavares "feliz" pela 1.ª internacionalização: "Estou entre os melhores, onde quero estar"" [Nuno Tavares "happy" for the 1st cap: "I am among the best, where I want to be"]. Record (in Portuguese). 15 November 2024. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
  43. ↑ "Full 'All Or Nothing' trailer released". Arsenal F.C. 19 July 2022. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
  44. ↑ All or Nothing: Arsenal | Official full trailer 🎬. Amazon Prime Video. 19 July 2022. Retrieved 21 July 2022 – via YouTube.
  45. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Nuno Tavares at Soccerway
  46. ↑ "Games played by Nuno Tavares in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
  47. ↑ "Games played by Nuno Tavares in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
  48. ↑ Nuno Tavares at EU-Football.info (archived)
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