Manchester United cult hero Nani has singled out former Portugal teammate Cristiano Ronaldo during an overlooked moment in his playing career.
Nani followed in Cristiano Ronaldo’s footsteps by leaving Sporting CP and making the move to Old Trafford to play under Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United.
The 39-year-old Portuguese winger, who arrived at the Red Devils in 2007, shared the pitch with Ronaldo at club level and on the international stage with Portugal.
Nani remained at Old Trafford long after Ronaldo’s blockbuster move to Real Madrid in 2009 and Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement as Man Utd manager in 2013.
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Nani talks up the major impact that he had for Portugal alongside Man Utd legend Cristiano Ronaldo at Euro 2016
Nani lifted his first and only piece of major silverware with Portugal in 2016 after his country captured the European Championship crown in France.
Portugal overcame host nation France in the Euro 2016 final at the Stade de France after Eder broke the deadlock between the two teams in extra time.
Former Portugal winger Nani, who played the full 120 minutes of the final, explained that he covered “84 kilometres” during the European Championship tournament.
The Red Devils cult hero also pointed out that he netted the same number of times (three) as Manchester United legend Cristiano Ronaldo during Euro 2016.
“I sacrificed myself for the team,” Nani said at the Portugal Football Summit in Miami, as per The Athletic.
“I was one of the top scorers for the team. I scored three goals, as did Cristiano, and I continued to perform. OK, you lose energy, you don’t play the beautiful game, but we won.”
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Man Utd icon Cristiano Ronaldo falls short of capturing the World Cup trophy in his final attempt with Portugal
Ronaldo has lifted the Henri Delaunay Trophy at Euro 2016 and the Nations League title twice during his prolific playing career with the Portugal national team.
However, the ex-Juventus and Real Madrid superstar has fallen short of lifting the World Cup trophy after six major tournament appearances at the FIFA competition.
Ronaldo, who turned 41 back in February, featured for Portugal at this summer’s World Cup, which is widely tipped to be his final appearance at FIFA tournaments.
Portugal fell short of lifting the World Cup trophy after Ronaldo and Co were knocked out of the competition in the round of 16 at the hands of Spain.
Portugal captain Ronaldo has not retired from international duty with his country in the immediate aftermath of the World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the United States.
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