Get to know... Nani

10 things you should know about rapid winger Nani...

1 His full name is Luis Carlos Almeida da Cunha.

2 His first club as a boy was Real De Massama before joining the youth set up at Sporting Lisbon.

3 He broke into the first team at Sporting Lisbon when he was just eighteen-years-old.

4 In the 2006/2007 season, he made 29 appearances for the first team scoring five goals along the way.

5 He helped Sporting Lisbon win the 06/07 Portuguese Cup.

6 Nani appeared for Portugal's Under 21s in the summer of 2006, appearing in all three games that Portugal played in the tournament.

7 He first strode into the spotlight with a wonder goal in the Champions League against Spartak Moscow.

8 In September 2006, he won man of the match and scored on his international debut for Portugal against Denmark.

9 As a child, Nani played football with former Portsmouth and Everton midfielder Manuel Fernandes.



Head over heels !

10 Old Trafford goal celebrations are going to take on a more spectacular air next season. Nani’s own routine comprises of a back flip quickly followed by a somersault.
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Manchester United Asia Tour 4 [ China ]

Report: Guangzhou 0 Utd 3

Pre-season friendly

Guangdong Olympic Stadium

GUANGZHOU PHARMACEUTICAL 0

MANCHESTER UNITED 3

Rooney, Nani, Martin


United's pre-season tour of Asia ended with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Guangzhou Pharmaceutical in the Guangdong Olympic Stadium, with strikes from Wayne Rooney, Nani and Lee Martin.

Injuries to Ryan Giggs, Edwin van der Sar, Owen Hargreaves and Cristiano Ronaldo meant Sir Alex was able to hand Lee Martin and Tomasz Kuszczak their first pre-season starts, while youngsters Phil Bardsley, Danny Simpson and Darron Gibson also gained starting berths.

Dong Fangzhuo fulfilled his dream of starting for United in his home country and was cheered throughout. But it was a frustrating run-out for the China international, who so desperately wanted to find the back of the net. The game's first chance fell to Dong, when Martin's low ball
flashed across the goalmouth. Dong was unable to make a connection on that opportunity but did go closer on 15 minutes when he headed wide.

The home team showed little ambition going forward, content instead to try and soak up the pressure. It was a risky tactic and the Reds made Guangzhou pay on 20 minutes when Michael Carrick was chopped down inside the penalty area. Guangzhuo weren't happy with the referee's decision to award a penalty – he'd initially signalled for a free-kick just outside the box – but Rooney ignored the protests to blast home from 12 yards.

The Reds scored three in 15 minutes against FC Seoul and three in 11 minutes in Macau, but there was no goal rush this time. United struggled to penetrate Guangzhou's defensive line, although the home side's negative tactics didn't help matters.

The first real chance from open play arrived in the 41st minute when a Michael Carrick cross was touched onto the woodwork by a Guangzhou defender. It was a timely intervention since Rooney was lurking at the back post and would surely have buried the chance. As it was, the ball bounced back into play and Rooney was penalised for a foul in the ensuing scramble.


It was left to Nani to brighten what had been a sloppy first period. The Portugal international, who scored on his debut against Shenzhen FC, added to his goal tally with a glorious chip from the left side of the penalty area, which drifted over Guangzhou goalkeeper Shuai and in off the far post. It was the kind of sublime piece of skill and ingenuity United fans will hope to see more of during his Old Trafford career.

Sir Alex made two changes at the start of the second half, with Gibson making way for John O'Shea and Tom Heaton coming on for Kuszczak… eventually. The referee actually blew his whistle to get the second period underway without realising the Reds had nobody in goal. The game was quickly stopped, however, to allow Heaton time to take up his position between the sticks.

The error drew ironic cheers from the crowd, which soon turned to celebrations as Martin fired United further into the lead with a brilliant swerving strike from 30 yards. Had it not been for Nani's spectacular first-half effort, Martin's goal would surely have grabbed all the headlines.

The game opened up somewhat as both teams made a string of substitutions. Alan Smith, Chris Eagles, Patrice Evra, Mikael Silvestre and Wes Brown all saw action, but it was the 76th-minute introduction of Cristiano Ronaldo that drew most attention. Despite playing for only a quarter of an hour, Ronaldo still managed to pull out his tricks in what was a thrilling display of exhibition football. It was a lively end to the match, although, on the whole, Sir Alex will be delighted with United's pre-season form.

Team Line-ups

United: Kuszczak (Heaton 46); Bardsley, Vidic (Silvestre 58), Ferdinand (Brown 58), Simpson; Martin (Evra 58), Carrick, Gibson (O'Shea 46), Nani (Eagles 58); Rooney (Ronaldo 76), Dong (Smith 62)
Unused subs: Evans, Fletcher

Guangzhou: Shuai; Zhihai (Xichang 74), Dechao (Suozhi 83), Yan, Wenpeng (Zhixing 56), Z Lin (Xianrong 69); Pengfeng (Yong 56), Zhijie (Zhiyi 69), Oliveira, L Lin (Deen 56); Batista (Junyan 56).

Manchester United Asia Tour 3 [ Macau ]

Report: Shenzhen 0 United 6

Pre-season friendly The Macau Stadium

SHENZHEN FC 0

MANCHESTER UNITED 6
Giggs, Rooney, Nani, O'Shea, Ronaldo, Eagles

New signing Nani scored on his debut as United ran riot against Shenzhen FC in a humid Macau Stadium.

The summer signing hit the Reds' third after just 23 minutes in a game that felt more like a practice match than a pre-season showpiece. Shenzhen rarely troubled Unit ed's rearguard and Sir Alex may have preferred a sterner workout. But the Reds did provide plenty of entertainment, including spectacular goals from Wayne Rooney and Chris Eagles.

Only five players who started against FC Seoul last Friday kept their place in Macau, with the manager handing starts to a number of youngsters. Nani operated on the right side of midfield, while Jonny Evans partnered Nemanja Vidic in central defence. Paul Scholes' injury-enforced absence handed Darron Gibson a chance to prove himself in central midfield and he looked lively early on when he combined with Wes Brown to force a corner in the third minute. Cristiano Ronaldo rose highest to head the cross past Shenzhen goalkeeper Jianjia, but the referee had already blown his whistle for a foul.

But the Reds continued to press and duly took the lead after 12 minutes. Rooney collected a curling Darren Fletcher pass inside the area and headed straight for goal. But while everyone expected the England forward to shoot, Rooney squared the ball inside to Ryan Giggs who rolled the ball into an empty net for a deserved lead.

The home side looked comparatively ineffective going forward but could have equalised had the referee spotted Evans' 15th-minute handball as he attempted to block a cross. United took advantage on 20 minutes via another moment of magic from Rooney. This time it was Giggs who provided the splitting pass into the area. Rooney controlled the ball before sending a superbly disguised chip over Jianjia - a sublime piece of skill that called to mind a similar pre-season effort in 2005.

Nani marked his debut with a goal shortly afterwards when he thumped Ryan Giggs' lay-off into the bottom corner. It was a well-taken strike that left the goalkeeper with little chance and prompted the 20-year-old's trademark somersault celebration.

Giggs, now 33, enjoyed a sparkling first half and was involved in all three United goals. The Welshman certainly doesn't look like relinquishing his spot in the side, despite the arrival of Nani, Anderson and Owen Hargreaves over the summer. Giggs made way for Alan Smith at the interval, while the United boss also introduced Tomasz Kuszczak, Rio Ferdinand and John O'Shea.

Shenzhen started brightest in the second period, with Ferdinand doing well to block a fierce Marek Zajac shot. But the more numbers the home team committed forward, the more the gaps opened up at the back. O'Shea kept his cool to net on 55 minutes after Ronaldo had drawn two men inside the penalty area, before the Portuguese winger capped a brisk counter-attack shortly afterwards to send the Reds 5-0 up.

It was the last action Ronaldo saw, as Sir Alex made a further four changes. Among them was Chris Eagles, whose impact was felt almost immediately. With the ball bouncing almost 35 yards from goal, the youngster lashed a shot over substitute goalkeeper Lei and under the bar. It was a fine finish and one that rivalled Rooney's first-half gem.

Smith should have made it 7-0 on 75 minutes but the striker almost seemed to have too much time when sent clear of the Shenzhen defence. Of course, it mattered little to the final result, as the Reds coasted to victory in front of yet another capacity Far East crowd.

Team Line-up:

United: van der Sar (Kuszczak, 45), Brown, Vidic (Ferdinand, 45), Evans, Evra (Silvestre, 59), Nani (Carrick, 59), Fletcher, Gibson (O'Shea, 45), Ronaldo (Eagles, 59), Giggs (Smith, 45), Rooney (Dong, 59)