17. Nani

Friday, 05 September 08, 09:28 PM · Comments(2)

Birthdate:	17 Nov 1986
Birthplace:	Praia, Cape Verde
Position:	Winger
Appearances:	43
Goals:	4
Joined United:	01 Jul 2007
United Debut:	05 Aug 2007 v Chelsea (N)
International	Portugal

Portuguese winger Luís Carlos Almeida da Cunha ("Nani") shares many similarities with Cristiano Ronaldo and he will be looking to emulate the achievements of his compatriot at Old Trafford over the coming seasons.

Nani 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.

Primarily a left-sided player, Nani can also play in numerous other attacking positions. He showed in his first season at OT why he has been compared favourably with Ronaldo, displaying speed and

skill and scoring several spectacular goals.

And the Cape Verde-born Nani is tipped to match the standards of 2007/08's PFA Player of the Year.

"He (Nani) is an amazing player, he's an amazing kid as well, he works very hard and has got a big heart," said Portuguese Under 21 team mate Ricardo Vaz Te. "He got a gift from god which is his talent obviously."

Old Trafford got its first glimpse of Nani's trademark backflip goal celebration when he scored his first goal against Spurs in August 2007, and United fans will be looking forward to seeing

it many times over the next few seasons.

After making his Sporting debut at the age of 18, Nani featured 29 times in the Portuguese league in 2006/07, scoring five times. 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.

Portugal assistant coach Paulo Sousa is backing Nani to continue his success in England. "Nani is very explosive, very strong and fast," he said. "I think that in the next five or 10 years, he and Cristiano Ronaldo can become

the best players in the world."

Nani's move to Old Trafford undoubtedly had something to do with former assistant boss Carlos Queiroz, now Nani's international manager. Queiroz is credited with helping Ronaldo settle and improve his game and, if Nani's first season is anything to go by, the ex-Reds' number two also had a positive influence on him.

Ronaldo has also promised to help Nani. “I really hope he has the same success as me, or even more, because he’s got the ability to do this," he said. "He joined the right club to evolve as a player and as a person.”

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