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Last 24 months · all competitions
LB
Left-backMain
3,959 min · 65 apps · 47 starts
Squad importance
Current squad importance over the club’s last 40 recorded competitive games in this spell, including previous seasons. Starts and minutes contribute 70%; performance contributes 30%. Absences reduce the score gradually, with less weight when a player is outside the matchday squad.Current role at Lazio · independent of the season filter
Important
Involvement71%
Performance45%
Through the match on 1 Nov 2026. Refreshed daily.
Profile
Career & playing style
Nuno Tavares is a left-footed full-back whose attacking value comes from turning space on the flank into a chance. He can carry the ball upfield himself before delivering from wide, forcing a defender to choose between stopping the run and protecting the passing lane. That forward thrust is the clearest thread through his career.
Born in Lisbon, he developed through Sporting, Casa Pia and Benfica before reaching Benfica's first team. In the August 2019 league opener against Paços de Ferreira, he started at right-back despite favouring his left foot. He scored the opening goal in a 5–0 win; coach Bruno Lage explained how moving infield from that side helped create the shooting opportunity.
Arsenal signed him from Benfica in 2021. After a season in London, he took loan spells at Marseille and Nottingham Forest. His earlier Benfica appearance on the right and later Lazio games on the left show why the label 'left-back' does not tell the whole story: the same left foot can pull him inside or send him down the outside.
A summer 2024 move to Lazio gave that trait a new setting. He started at left-back in the 2–2 draw with Milan on 31 August, and Lega Serie A's later review identified his physical progression and dribbling as central to his early impact in Italy. Lazio completed a permanent transfer from Arsenal in June 2025, turning the initial spell into a longer chapter.
The 2025/26 campaign also brought a major cup occasion: Tavares started the Coppa Italia final against Inter on 13 May 2026. Lazio lost 2–0. The match is a useful measure of the level at which his attacking instincts must be balanced with the responsibilities of a back four, rather than a title to add to his personal record.
His route with Portugal ran from youth teams to a senior debut against Poland on 15 November 2024. The federation called him back for World Cup qualifying in September 2025. For a fan watching him, the recurring question is how much ground he can gain with a carry and whether the next pass turns that territory into a real chance.
Latest stats & form
Nuno Tavares currently plays for Lazio as a left-back. He has represented Portugal internationally.