It was out near the same Old Trafford touchline, some 14 years ago now, that another Manchester United winger decided to dabble in a spot of showboating. Four unanswered goals up against Arsenal with about a quarter of an hour remaining, Nani infamously embarked on a “seal dribble”, juggling the ball with his forehead as poor Justin Hoyte desperately tried and failed to keep up with him, and eventually crumpled to the floor, getting back up only to be beaten again.
Helped by the fact it was the pick of that year’s FA Cup fifth round ties and broadcasted to millions on terrestrial television, it was a largely inconsequential moment that has become an abiding memory, as has the fact that Nani was rebuked for his flamboyance by Sir Alex Ferguson in the dressing room afterwards. Nani was told “he didn’t need to do that”.
