There are infamous examples of Pep Guardiola’s fondness for exaggeration. Since he branded Matheus Nunes one of the best players in the world, back in 2022 and when the Portuguese played for Sporting CP, there has been precious little evidence to support that statement. Recently, and more damningly, Guardiola said his £50m midfielder was not clever enough to play in the middle for Manchester City.
But as a makeshift right-back, Nunes may have gone from a waste of money to a man who earned City their slice of the Champions League millions. He had set up Nico O’Reilly’s late opener against Everton on Saturday. He scored City’s even later winner against Aston Villa, a 94th-minute decider giving them a four-point lead over rivals for a top-five finish.
