The Portuguese international winger, European champion for Portugal at Euro 2016, announced on Sunday on social media the end of his career, at the age of 38, at a time when he was representing Estrela da Amadora in the I Liga, a club from his hometown.
Manchester United highlighted, this Monday, the retirement of the “skilled winger” Nani from football, with a text and a video dedicated to the European champion for the English club, which he represented from 2007 to 2014.
The English club recalls that Nani helped Sir Alex Ferguson’s team win four Premier League titles and was influential in the 2008 Champions League triumph over Chelsea in Moscow, converting one of the shoot-out penalties.
“He also won the English Super Cup, scoring one of the best goals ever seen in the competition (against Manchester City, in 2011), as well as two League Cups and the FIFA Club World Cup in 2008”, recalls the English club. coach Ruben Amorim, in a message posted on social media.
The club also points out that “the skilled winger returned on loan to Sporting in 2014, as part of the agreement that took Marcos Rojo to Old Trafford” and, a year later, “departed permanently to Fenerbahçe, with a final record of 41 goals in 230 games for the Reds”.
“The time has come to say goodbye”
The Portuguese international winger, European champion for Portugal at Euro 2016, announced on Sunday on social media the end of his career, at the age of 38, at a time when he was representing Estrela da Amadora in the I Liga, a club from his hometown.
“The time has come to say goodbye. It’s been an incredible journey and I want to thank every person who helped and supported me, through the ups and downs, during a career that lasted more than 20 years and provided me with so many unforgettable memories”, replied the English club.
Nani, trained at Sporting and who arrived at the Reds in 2007, the same day that the signing of the Brazilian midfielder ex-FC Porto Anderson was also announced, also said that “it’s time to turn the page” and focus on “new goals and dreams.”
In total, there were 17 titles as a seniorwith Euro 2016 ahead and a Champions League and Club World Cup also as highlights, these two for Manchester United in which he enjoyed the best years of his career, first alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and, later, helping the last few years of success of the ‘red devils’, still with Alex Ferguson as coach.
It was there that he ended up being nominated several times for the Ballon d’Or, becoming English champion four times, among other titles, forming attacking combinations with Wayne Rooney, Carlos Tévez, Ryan Giggs and Dimitar Berbatov, among others, after Ronaldo left for Real Madrid.
In Portugal, he won the Portuguese Cup three times and one the League Cup, having captained Sporting, which he arrived at the end of his training, starting at Real Massamá, to make his senior debut in 2005/06, with 36 games and six goals.
Nani returned to Sporting twice
After another outstanding season, the transfer to United, where he would play for several years until returning to Sporting (2014/15, with 37 games and 12 goals), first, and leaving for Fenerbahçe, later, being in Turkey during the season 2015/16 which culminated in the joy for Portugal – he was in three European Cups and one World Cup, but it was in that year that he ‘shone’, with three goals in a tournament in which he ended up with the captain’s armband in the final, won against France, after Ronaldo get hurt.
He played for Valencia and Lazio, returned to the Lions one last time in 2018 and then moved to the United States, to Orlando City. He ventured back to Europe, at Veneza, was at Melbourne Victory, in Australia, and at Adana Demirspor, in 2023/24, returning ‘home’ this season.
