Nuno Moreira: the Portuguese winger with Bernardo Silva-esque versatility making his mark in Brazil with Vasco | OneFootball

Each year, countless Portuguese players depart their homeland in search of developing a career abroad. Nuno Moreira was one of them in February when he left Casa Pia for an adventure in Brazilian football with Vasco Da Gama, in a move which barely registered on the international market.

Yet the winger is proving one of the more captivating stories to follow as he continues to shine in Rio de Janeiro, where his versatility and productivity are contributing to an impressive debut season in South America.

Moreira costa Vasco a fee of €3.5m in February, which was a modest outlay given his numbers. From 23 appearances in all competitions, Moreira had scored 9 goals and racked up 5 assists for Os Gansos. Ten of those goal involvements came in the Portuguese top flight, where his five goals and five assists helped set Casa Pia on their way to a 9th place finish.

The following month, Moreira made his Brasileirão debut for Vasco against Santos, introducing himself in dream fashion with a goal in a 2-1 victory. Since then, the 26-year-old has been a regular under Vasco’s former Brazilian national team coach Fernando Diniz, who has used the Portuguese in a multitude of positions. In terms of numbers, Moreira has featured in 43 games in all competitions, scoring 8 goals and producing 8 assists for teammates.

Moreira’s Brasileirão figures are impressive too, given the competition is known for being a lower-scoring league than its European counterparts. Moreira is the only wide player, along with Vasco teammate Rayan, to have 10 goal involvements in the 2025 campaign, with five goals and five assists.

Vasco is not club with which such figures have been easy to achieve. Moreira is only the fourth player to notch five goals and five assists in a league campaign since 2012. The previous three players include club legends Juninho Pernambucano and Nenê, as well as Argentine striker Maxi Lopez.

Moreira has been similarly astute off the field, telling reporters that new teammate, Brazil international Phillippe Coutinho, was his idol growing up. With the help of other stars such as Rayan, Vasco have been one of the more free-scoring teams in the division, but a leaky defence has meant a modest mid-table position, which currently sees them 11th and in-line for a Copa Sudamericana place.

Moreira’s best game came against Sport in September, when he scored one goal and created another in a 3-2 victory. His most recent strike was in Vasco’s last match on Sunday, nodding in the opener in a 4-3 win over Vitoria. With eleven matches left to play in the Campeonato Brasileiro, there is time yet for Moreira to add to what has been a stellar introduction to South American football.

Shades of Bernardo?

Perhaps as impressive as his attacking prowess has been Moreira's adaptability within the systems used by Diniz, who is renowned for an attacking approach. With two thirds of the league campaign played, Moreira has already featured as a right winger, left winger, attacking central midfielder, defensive midfielder and even right-back. “When I moved Nuno into the deeper midfield position, he was even better," Diniz told journalists in September.

"Nuno is a very intelligent player, one of the most intelligent in the squad,” Diniz said late last month. “He's very involved and has been very decisive with me. He has scored a good number of goals for his position. He's very important tactically. We only ask him once, and he understands perfectly what he needs to do. Sometimes he drops down to help in the five-man line, closes up the middle with the midfielders, presses high with the forwards. “He's a technical player, and his fitness will improve. He's a player accustomed to a less physically demanding schedule, and he already has a tendency to feel it a bit more. I truly believe that with training and recovery, he will improve. In fact, I think he's already improved in this regard.”

Upon hearing such praise, one cannot help but be reminded of the way Pep Guardiola revers Bernardo Silva. European scouts keen for a technically and tactically reliable Portuguese winger may currently regret overlooking Casa Pia’s Moreira less than a year ago.