1. Early life and youth career
Nuno Tavares was born on January 26, 2000, in Lisbon, Portugal. He is of Cape Verdean descent. His early football development began at Casa Pia, where he had two stints, first from 2009 to 2010 and then from 2013 to 2015. Between these periods, he spent three years at Lisbon rivals Sporting CP from 2010 to 2013. He concluded his youth development with S.L. Benfica from 2015 to 2018. During his time at Casa Pia, his manager, João Silva, would drive him home from training daily, ensuring his studies remained a priority alongside his football commitments.
2. Club career
Nuno Tavares' professional club career has seen him progress through the ranks at Benfica and subsequently experience spells at Arsenal and various loan clubs, each period contributing to his development and demonstrating his style of play.
2.1. S.L. Benfica
Tavares made his senior debut with Benfica's reserve team in the Liga Portugal 2 on October 27, 2018, in a 3-2 home victory against S.C. Covilhã. He made 19 appearances for the B team, but did not score. His official debut for Benfica's first team came on August 4, 2019, playing the full 90 minutes in a dominant 5-0 victory over Sporting CP in the Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira at the Estádio Algarve. The following week, he made his Primeira Liga debut against F.C. Paços de Ferreira, scoring his first goal and providing two assists in another 5-0 home win.
However, Tavares faced challenges during his time at Benfica. Two weeks after his impressive league debut, his defensive weaknesses were exposed in a 2-0 loss to FC Porto in O Clássico. This led to him being sent back to the B side and losing his starting spot to Tomás Tavares, limiting him to occasional domestic cup matches as a backup for Alejandro Grimaldo. Following a difficult 2020-21 season, and an incident involving a derogatory remark about Grimaldo posted on a friend's Instagram account, Benfica decided to sell him despite his public apologies. He concluded his spell at the club with 41 competitive appearances for the first team, scoring one goal.
2.2. Arsenal F.C.
On July 10, 2021, Tavares completed a long-term transfer to Arsenal for a deal valued at around 8.00 M GBP. He was assigned the number 20 shirt. His Premier League debut occurred on August 13, coming on as a late substitute for Calum Chambers in a 2-0 away defeat to Brentford.
Initially, Tavares earned a starting spot due to an injury to Kieran Tierney. He delivered some strong performances, particularly praised by coach Mikel Arteta for his attacking qualities. However, he struggled with homesickness and exhibited defensive frailties, positional mistakes, and lapses in concentration. These issues often led to him being substituted at half-time during matches, most notably when a misplaced pass gifted a goal to Diogo Jota in a 4-0 defeat against Liverpool. Despite these struggles, Tavares scored his first goal for Arsenal on April 23, 2022. It came in the third minute of a 3-1 home victory against Manchester United, as he calmly tapped in a rebound after David de Gea had saved Bukayo Saka's shot. He made 22 league appearances, scoring 1 goal for Arsenal.
2.2.1. Loan spells
To gain further experience and playing time, Nuno Tavares has been sent on several loan spells from Arsenal to other European clubs.
3. International career
Nuno Tavares has represented Portugal at various youth levels, showcasing his potential on the international stage.
He won his first cap for the under-21 side on September 10, 2019, in a 2-0 away victory against Belarus during the 2021 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifiers. He continued to be a key player for the U-21 team, scoring his first goal on October 7, 2021, in an emphatic 11-0 rout of Liechtenstein in Vizela during the qualifiers for the next edition of the tournament. Overall, he made 8 appearances for the U-18 team in 2018, 14 appearances and scored 1 goal for the U-19 team between 2018 and 2019, and 16 appearances, scoring 1 goal for the U-21 team between 2019 and 2023.
Tavares was included in a provisional 55-man squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, but he ultimately did not make the final 26-man roster. Thanks to his improved performances at Lazio, he earned his full senior debut for the Portugal national team on November 15, 2024. He came on as a late substitute for Nuno Mendes in a dominant 5-1 home victory over Poland in the UEFA Nations League.
4. Honours
Benfica
- Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira: 2019
5. Media
Nuno Tavares was featured in the Amazon Original sports docuseries All or Nothing: Arsenal. This series documented the 2021-22 season by providing behind-the-scenes access to the coaching staff and players, both on and off the field.
6. Career statistics
6.1. Club
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Benfica B | 2018-19 | Liga Portugal 2 | 12 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 12 | 0 | |
| 2019-20 | Liga Portugal 2 | 7 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7 | 0 | ||
| Total | 19 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 19 | 0 | |||
| Benfica | 2019-20 | Primeira Liga | 11 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 16 | 1 | |
| 2020-21 | Primeira Liga | 14 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 25 | 0 | ||
| Total | 25 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 41 | 1 | |||
| Arsenal | 2021-22 | Premier League | 22 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | - | - | - | - | 28 | 1 | |
| Marseille (loan) | 2022-23 | Ligue 1 | 31 | 6 | 2 | 0 | - | - | 6 | 0 | - | - | 39 | 6 | |
| Nottingham Forest (loan) | 2023-24 | Premier League | 8 | 0 | 4 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 12 | 0 | |
| Lazio (loan) | 2024-25 | Serie A | 19 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | - | 3 | 0 | - | - | 23 | 0 | |
| Career total | 129 | 8 | 13 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 167 | 8 | |||
6.2. International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portugal | 2024 | 1 | 0 |
| Total | 1 | 0 | |