By Chris Wright
Much-derided and oft-mocked for being soft as warm Dairylea, Luis Nani is now on the cusp of leaving Manchester United after eight years on the payroll.
The 28-year-old Portuguese winger, who spent last season on loan at Sporting Lisbon, has been subjected to the customary ‘terrifying Turkish airport greeting’ this morning ahead of completing a £3.5million move to Fenerbahce, medical pending.
It’s easy to scoff when it comes to Nani: the diving; the myriad flouncy tricks that lead nowhere; the endless torrent of over/under-hit crosses and shots; the physical feebleness, etc, etc, but it’s worth remembering that there were some good times too…roughly one a season, if you were lucky.
Cast your mind back and you may just recall that he wasn’t all bad, at least not all of the time.
How about his Portuguese Liga goal of the season for Sporting against Gil Vicente last year for starters?
Whoomp. So good it actually made him cry.
Then there’s this belter against Middlesbrough in 2009…
How about this little beauty against Chelsea in 2011?
In fact, 2011 was good year…
A couple of brilliant goals against Man City. That’s got to count for something right?
That time he pared Arsenal in twain with devastating ease?
And best of all, that time he made Cristiano Ronaldo throw a strop after ruining all of his hard work…
Eternal thanks are due for that one.
Y’know, at least he was always willing to try something, even if it didn’t come off. Nani had the propensity to be entirely unstoppable on his day – it’s just a shame ‘his days’ tended to occur less frequently than blood moons.
So long Nani lad, you probably won’t be missed.