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17. NANI
Birthdate: 17 Nov 1986
Birthplace: Praia, Cape Verde
Position: Winger
Appearances: 72
Goals: 10
Joined United: 01 Jul 2007
United Debut: 05 Aug 2007 v Chelsea (N)
International Portugal
Portuguese Luís Carlos Almeida da Cunha (or ‘Nani’ as we all know him) is a powerful and pacy winger. He arrived at Old Trafford from Sporting Lisbon in 2007 and, predictably, was given the tag of being ‘the next Cristiano Ronaldo’.
It’s perhaps an unfair comparison given the heights Ronaldo has scaled in the last two seasons, but Nani will have taken note of how his countryman worked so hard to hone his raw talents in his early years at Old Trafford, transforming inexperience and inconsistency into maturity and regularly threatening displays.
Nani produces explosive bursts of brilliance, his goals are spectacular and well worthy of his equally extravagant backflip celebrations. But the challenge now, after a patchy second season in England, is to do it consistently at the top level. Like Ronaldo in his first three seasons at Old Trafford, the good form comes in spells. Nani, who scored four goals in 41 appearances as the Reds clinched the Premier League and Champions League trophies, can play on either flank and showed his speed, skill and scoring potential in his first season at OT.
Old Trafford got its first glimpse of Nani's trademark acrobatic celebration when he scored his first United goal against Tottenham in August 2007, and he followed that with goals against Middlesbrough, Arsenal and – the goal that perhaps most endeared him to Reds fans – a great strike in the 3-0 win over Liverpool at Old Trafford in March 2008.
Nani’s move to United was announced in May 2007, the same day Anderson’s arrival from FC Porto was confirmed, though he officially joined United in July 2007 for an undisclosed fee from Sporting Lisbon, after being tracked for some time by Sir Alex Ferguson and his scouting staff. His Sporting debut came at the age of 18, scoring five times in 29 appearances in the Portuguese league in 2006/07. He found the net on his international debut against Denmark in September 2006, and also featured for Portugal in the Euro 2008 championships in Austria and Switzerland.
Nani overtook his goals tally during his second season with a wonder strike in the 4-2 Carling Cup semi-final second leg clash with Derby. It shows signs of improvement, and Ronaldo has promised Nani will further raise his game. “I really hope he has the same success as me, or even more, because he’s got the ability to do this," said Ronny. "He joined the right club to evolve as a player and as a person.”
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