Former Manchester United midfielder Nani was the most in-demand player following the Red Devils' 4-1 win over Melbourne Victory at the MCG on Friday.
Nani has just signed for Melbourne Victory and made his debut against United, coming off the bench late on to rapturous cheers from both sets of fans The 35-year-winger, who was at United from 2007 to 2015, winning four Premier League titles and the Champions League, was wanted by everybody post-match, including MUTV, United's in-house TV station, and media from all over the world.
Nani was the last player out of the dressing-rooms at the MCG and spoke about the new chapter in his career. "The team and the staff received me very well," said Nani. "I'm so excited for this new challenge in my life.
"It's always a pleasure to be with a lot of Reds, and to see the lads tonight is something special. The reason I played tonight was because my son told me 'you need to play!'. Then, after a couple of seconds, he said 'no, no, no, that's my favourite team, don't play!' so I said 'Okay, I'm going to play for you'.
Nani met up with Portuguese compatriots Bruno Fernandes and Diogo Dalot, both of whom played the first-half, and had high praise for his fellow countrymen. He added: "It's a pleasure to be on the field with these fantastic stars, Portugal stars, they are the ones who are shining on the field, for Portugal and United.
"So I hope this season they can do their best and help the team and the club achieve their goals." Melbourne Victory's players crowded at the door of the United dressing room after their defeat, with many desperate to claim a shirt from their more celebrated opponents.
United's squad left the MCG in two tour buses, emblazoned with United livery and the club crest, for the 10-minute drive to the five-star W Hotel, their base for their week-long stay in Melbourne, where they play Crystal Palace on Tuesday. Just like in Bangkok, fans are camped outside the hotel, hoping for a glimpse of their heroes, with some of United's players venturing down to see them to sign autographs and pose for pictures.
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United have a purpose-built games room on one of the three floors of the hotel they have taken over, with a giant TV and table tennis, with goalkeeper David De Gea and Bruno Fernandes among those to have played each other. Some of United's staff are going to watch rugby league team Melbourne Storm in action on Sunday at the AAMI Stadium, adjacent to the MCG, while others are off to watch a game of Aussie Rules football.
Former United defender Denis Irwin, an ambassador for the club who is part of the pre-season touring party, did a pre-match broadcast for MUTV from the top of the huge scoreboard at the MCG. Irwin, who did a similar stunt at Perth's Optus Stadium, where United play Aston Villa in their final tour game on July 23, said: "It was a test, walking up all of those steps, but the view is amazing. It's not as scary as the one in Perth, but the view of Melbourne is incredible."
