NANI

Luís Carlos Almeida da Cunha (NANI)

17.Luís Carlos Almeida da Cunha

Nani was born in Cape Verde, but migrated with his family to Portugal at an early age. He grew up in the Amadora district of Lisbon and started his career in junior football at Real de Massamá before joining the youth setup at Sporting. Manuel Fernandes has been a friend of Nani's since childhood and the pair used to kick a ball about together on the streets of Lisbon.

Nani made his debut for the Sporting first team in the 2005-06 season, in which he made 32 appearances and scored five goals. In the 2006-07 season, he was again a regular, making 29 appearances for the first team and scoring five goals. He also played three games in the Portuguese Cup, which Sporting won, as well as six Champions League matches, scoring one goal.

In May 2007, Sporting and Manchester United agreed on an undisclosed fee for Nani to sign for the Manchester club. The fee is believed to be in the region of £14m, the alleged value of the release clause in Nani's contract. Tottenham Hotspur were also reported to have made a bid for the player.[1] Nani passed his medical at United's Carrington training ground on 6 June 2007,[2] before being confirmed as a Manchester United player on 2 July. It was announced that Nani had signed a five-year contract with the club.[3]

On 9 July, Nani was revealed to the press along with fellow newcomer Owen Hargreaves.Nick Coppack (2007-07-09). Stars on parade. ManUtd.com. Retrieved on 2007-07-16. He was handed the number 17 shirt for the 2007-08 season, the shirt previously worn by Henrik Larsson during his short spell at the club.

Nani made his first appearance for Portugal on 1 September 2006, scoring on his début in a friendly against Denmark.[4]

Nani was the youngest member of the Portugal team at the 2006 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship, and was called up to the Portugal team again for the 2007 UEFA U-21 Championship.