Manchester United are pretty active in the transfer market with their moves in a departure from the Glazer rule where the deadline day became a panic trolley dash.
The situation only worsened when Sir Alex Ferguson left, as under him, the club used to effectively run on his command.
A player who came to Old Trafford under him and perfectly summed up his man-management was Nani, who arrived as a precocious and tricky winger and played some of the best football of his career here.
He scored 41 goals and assisted 70 in a spell full of breathtaking moments of inspiration, fans out of their seats at his mazy dribbles, and the odd moment of frustration when they saw he wasn’t utilising his limitless potential.
He was sold by Louis van Gaal after the 2014/15 season (One season on loan at Sporting) when he joined Fenerbahce, the third club of his career at the time since he joined United from Sporting.
A decade later, he is up to the tenth club of his journeyman career which never really settled after Sporting and United. However, this one is special.
Nani’s emotional reunion
Since leaving Fenerbahce after a single season, the longest the Portuguese winger has stayed at a single club is when he spent two seasons at Valencia, which he joined from the Turkish side.
Following Valencia, there were spells on loan at Lazio, a season back at Sporting, detours to Australian side Melbourne Victory, Venezia, and a fruitful time at Orlando City of MLS.
He recently became a free agent after leaving Turkey’s Adana Demirspor and at the age of 37 now, he has brought his career full circle, joining the tenth club of his career.
Nani, who hails from the Portuguese town of Amadora, has joined Primeira Liga side Estrela de Amadora, his hometown club, on a one-year contract.
Amadora finished 14th in the league last season so they are not powerhouses by any means, but this move is more than about just competitive standing.
In their official announcement of the signing, Amadora said: “The footballer will once again play in the Portuguese league, in the city of Amadora – a city that is particularly special to him.
“It is where he grew up, and where his footballing adventure began. A city that saw a boy become a man and an elite athlete, who won virtually everything in the world of football.
“He made the city proud of his progress as a player, and above all as a person. Everything he has done for the city, showing solidarity and social responsibility, now culminates with him joining Estrela da Amadora.”
Nani was an enigma
Nani is a player who could only have flourished under the masterful man-management of Sir Alex Ferguson, who knew how to make every player tick.
The winger’s playing style was straight from the streets, the kind of freewheeling that is increasingly being coached out of the game in favour of rigid tactical structures.
It made him a joy to watch but Sir Alex knew how to curb his bad instincts and empower his strengths. United have had mercurial wingers since the legendary manager left, but most have failed to make their mark.
It is not unreasonable to think that the likes of Memphis would have flourished under Sir Alex because Nani arrived from Sporting as a similarly exciting but raw player.
Ultimately, he was at United at the best possible time, becoming a part of the Champions League-winning team and winning multiple league titles as well while being a key contributor.
He will always be remembered fondly by fans but his is a case of how important being at the right place at the right time, under the right manager is for a player’s development.
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