Four-time Premier League champion Nani has announced his retirement from professional football at the age of 38.
The ex Manchester United and the Portuguese forward have enjoyed a glittering career, amassing more than 700 appearances for club and country, while collecting several major trophies. He is forever linked to his fellow countryman and United team-mate Cristiano RonaldoNani carved his own path at Old Trafford.
A winger with endless tricks, the former Sporting CP forward also boasted the finished product. Nani collected nine goals and 14 Premier League assists when voted United’s player of the season as the club won their second most recent top-flight title in 2010/11.
“It’s time to say goodbye, I’ve decided to end my career as a professional player,” wrote Nani social media on Sunday night.
“It’s been an amazing ride and I wanted to thank every single person who has helped and supported me through the highs and lows during a career that has spanned over 20 years and given me so many unforgettable memories. Time to turn over a new leaf and focus on new goals and dreams See you soon!”
Nani signed his post with the word “Thank you” in five different languages, reflecting the itinerant end of his career. After leaving United in the summer of 2014, Nani turned out for eight different clubs in six countries over the next nine years.
While his club career never quite returned to the heights of domestic and continental dominance he enjoyed at United, Nani played a starring role in Portugal’s triumph at Euro 2016. Along with Ronaldo, the striker was his country’s top scorer as a hard-fought by Fernando Santos The outfit lifted Portugal’s first major trophy.
Following spells at Fenerbahce, Valencia, Lazio, Orlando City, Venezia and Melbourne Victory, the 38-year-old came to the end of his one-year deal with Turkish side Adana Demirspor last summer. Nani was briefly without an employer before returning to Portugal’s top flight with Estrella.
Struggling into the 20th season of his professional career, Nani managed to make nine league appearances and even scored in a 2-2 draw with Boavista in September. The veteran’s last professional appearance turned out to be a 5-1 defeat at the club that first nurtured his prodigious talent, Sporting CP.
