After a somewhat quiet debut campaign with Sporting CP, Nani - who had been taught how to play the game by his older brother - impressed for the Portuguese outfit the following term.
The 2006/07 season was, undoubtedly, the one that led Manchester United to move quickly to recruit the tricky winger. It was only his second campaign with Sporting, but he had already helped them win a trophy. While a move to Old Trafford marked a step up in his career, he had demonstrated that it was something he could embrace and use to his advantage.
Given that Nani was Portuguese, played on the wing and had a flamboyant playstyle, there were understandable comparisons with his fellow countryman Cristiano Ronaldo. Although Ronaldo, who had already impressed since joining the club, was still on his own path to greatness, people were quick to suggest that Nani would be his eventual successor. There was immediate pressure on his shoulders, and unlike his compatriot, it took him slightly longer to rise to that.
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In the winger's first three seasons at United, he failed to score more than four goals in a campaign. Nani had shown glimpses of his quality, but there was a general consensus that he was, at least in his first few years at Old Trafford, too inconsistent. The Portuguese star clearly enjoyed playing alongside Ronaldo, but he was a huge figure to line up alongside. For some players, it helped them thrive, but for others, his move to Real Madrid in 2009 allowed them to become a more prominent figure.
Nani was one player expected to step up and replace Ronaldo at Old Trafford. Although the winger has registered just 10 goals across his first two seasons at the club, his teammates were also of the belief that he was more than capable of filling the void left by Ronaldo. Ryan Giggs, for example, knew that Nani had the ability to deliver.
"I think Nani is ready to step up to that next level now. He has always been a match-winner but he needs to do it consistently," Giggs told The People in 2010. "This season he has already made seven or eight goals and scored a couple but he can do better as well and improve and there is more to come.
"He’s definitely beginning to add something that perhaps we lacked since Cristiano left and he’s filling that gap better now. Those strikes from outside the box and the type of run and goal we saw at Bolton recently show that he’s got that in him.
"What he needs to do now is add more goals to his game. He needs to score 20 goals a season and make 20 goals. If he does that - and he is capable of it - that is all you can ask from a wide player.
"But I’ve played a lot of that and I understand what is needed from a player who plays out wide and has an attacking role. You speak to those in your position all the time and Nani is very good at listening to that kind of advice.
"I have experience to pass on to the younger players and I do that with Nani. He needs to get more composure in the final third but he is still relatively young and I am certain he will add more goals to his game."
At the time, it was probably unclear how much Ronaldo would actually be missed. Sir Alex Ferguson, the players and all of the supporters knew that he would take some replacing, but, as it turned out, he would end up being irreplaceable. Nani was somewhat unfortunate that he had been identified as the player capable of replacing Ronaldo, and after being tipped for greatness, the player was clearly struggling for confidence.
When Nani was sent off for a lunge at Stiliyan Petrov during United's clash against Aston Villa in 2010 - which resulted in a three-match ban and ruled him out of the League Cup final - he came under criticism. His absence from the squad, while ultimately not impacting the scoreline, was a massive shame for the attacker. In a season where he had registered seven goals and 14 assists - and began to contribute on a more consistent basis - it would have been fitting for him to feature in the final.
The following campaign, then, would prove to be even more important for Nani. After demonstrating that he was capable of performing week in, week out for Ferguson's side, he was expected to kick on. Therefore, when Nani was taken off the pitch on a stretcher with a suspected broken leg following a challenge from Jamie Carragher in March, there was a feeling that, after gradually progressing amid consistent game time, Nani would take two steps back having taken one forward. He left the pitch in tears, and to make things worse, United lost the game 3-1.
However, somewhat remarkably, the Portuguese attacker returned to training the following week. He was expected to miss up to three weeks as a result of this tackle and was set to return in April, but he managed to play 61 minutes in a 2–1 victory over Marseille. It allowed Nani to continue playing at the high standard he had set so far in the campaign and was important in the context of his season.
Given his strong showings in the 2010/11 season, Nani, like many people, expected himself to be nominated for the PFA Player of the Year award. Having registered 10 goals and 20 assists, he certainly had an argument. He had been nominated for the Young Player of the Year award, but ultimately lost out to Jack Wilshere. Nevertheless, Nani, after an extremely productive campaign, was awarded for his outstanding season by being included in the PFA Premier League Team of the Year for the first time.
Months later, Nani was shortlisted for the prestigious Ballon d'Or award in 2011. The accolade would ultimately be won by Lionel Messi, who scooped the award ahead of Ronaldo. While Nani wasn't expected to be crowned the winner, his inclusion on the shortlist showed how much he had progressed.
Ferguson admitted that it was always going to take time for the player to adjust, with the legendary boss using Ronaldo as an example. The Scotsman, speaking in late 2011, insisted that Nani was progressing well, while also suggesting that he had started to find his 'maturity'.
"Nani has always had potential," he said. "Some of those who come to our club from abroad do it quickly, others gradually grow into it. Nani is one of those.
"Even Cristiano took two or three years to get the maturity in his game. That is what we are seeing with Nani now. The goals have been fine but his assists are very high. He is progressing really well."
The following campaign would prove to be another successful one for the United man, with Nani scoring 10 times and assisting a further 15. However, injury would once again starve him of some game time. After being on the wrong end of a tackle by Arsenal defender Laurent Koscielny in January 2012, the winger was ruled out for two months.
Having enjoyed such a productive season, Nani was expected to go one further the following term. Yet, he struggled to contribute in front of goal and endured a difficult campaign. He scored a single Premier League goal, and three in all competitions - marking a significant decrease compared with previous seasons.
While the Reds won the Premier League by 11 points in 2012/13, Nani had played just 11 times in the league, including only seven as a starter. It was his fourth top-flight title, but his bit-part season was disappointing for both him and the club. Ironically, the most memorable appearance came in the second leg of United's Champions League last-16 tie with Real Madrid.
United, who were leading 1-0 at the time, were reduced to 10 men when Nani was sent off in the second half for a high boot on Alvaro Arbeloa. It proved costly as the Spanish side took advantage of their numerical superiority and scored twice to win the game 2–1, and the tie 3–2 on aggregate.
Shortly after Ferguson retired, Nani renewed his contract at Old Trafford in September 2013. He, and new manager David Moyes, were hopeful that he could rediscover the form he had shown in previous years. Yet, he would go on to spend most of the season struggling with injury and trying to find form. He scored only once during the season. It was an underwhelming campaign - for both the player, and United.
A year after extending his stay with the Reds, Nani returned to Sporting CP on a season-long loan. As part of the deal, the Reds were boosted by the arrival of centre-back Marcos Rojo. While the departure of Ferguson was always going to be difficult for the Portuguese winger, it ultimately proved to mark the end of his time in Manchester.
Nani left the Reds on a permanent deal in 2015, joining Turkish side Fenerbahce. His United career had come to somewhat of an abrupt end, and there was definitely a feeling that he had left without truly reaching his full potential. Despite this, club legend Rio Ferdinand last year hailed Nani as a 'proper player' and insisted the former United winger 'blew his mind' in training.
Speaking on the FIVE YouTube channel, Ferdinand said: "Nani was a ridiculous player. If Manchester United had Nani now… what they would give to have him. He was frustrating but we talk about him in our WhatsApp group, he was a bad player! A proper player.
"The inconsistency was with his end product. He would do things in training that would blow your mind. Shift it, bang, left or right foot, top corner, the hardest shot you’ve ever seen. He might do that two out of five times in training but you don’t get as many chances in a game and it was a little bit wild at times with him in matches.
"The only criticism with Nani is if he could’ve slowed down in those moments, just as he was going to shoot, if he could have slowed down like Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, the top players, he would have been a different category man."
In an eight-year spell at Old Trafford, Nani played 230 games and helped the Reds win four Premier League titles and the Champions League. His time with the club was, regardless of his individual record, incredibly successful.
Nani had the chance to become a legend at Old Trafford, and had the ability to fill the void left by Ronaldo. While he was unable to reach the heights that many expected, he still enjoyed a host of memorable moments. Given that he won a total of 12 trophies with United, he can, without a doubt, look back with pride.
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