Nani on Cristiano Ronaldo: There was no better place for him to go than Manchester United
Former Manchester United winger Nani is still turning on the style for MLS side Orlando City, yet he keeps a close eye on what is going on at Old Trafford.
After making 230 appearances for the English club, in which he scored 41 goals and provided 73 assists, it is clear that Manchester United still holds a place in the 34-year-old's heart.
Cristiano Ronaldo made the return to Manchester United last summer and, in Nani's eyes, it was the best place he could have gone.
"Always," Nani told the Athletic when asked if he still keeps an eye on Manchester United.
"If I don't have a game at the same time, of course. It's special now with Cristiano there. Obviously, when you see the news and the situation of him at Juventus you could imagine that there was no better place for him to go than to go back.
"In my head, I knew he could go. I knew the news would be true, so it wasn't that much of a surprise to me.
"It's always a motivation to see Man United and Old Trafford full of fans, the way the atmosphere is at that stadium is just incredible. It's good to see and remember some good moments."
Convincing Bruno Fernandes to join Manchester United
Nani played alongside Bruno Fernandes during his second spell at Sporting CP, and he was keen to convince his countryman to make the move to Old Trafford in 2020.
"I was the first one to tell him he should go to England and if he decides to go to England, if he can choose Man United it would be the best thing for him," Nani explained.
"That was funny because a couple of months later when I went to Orlando I saw the news and I texted him because I was seeing Man City and Man United and Tottenham were fighting for him and I said, 'If you have to go, you choose Man United! It's the best!'"
Taking Orlando City to the top
Currently plying his trade for Orlando City, who he joined in 2019, the Portuguese winger has gone from strength to strength in MLS.
He has been a real difference maker for the Florida outfit, captaining them to their first-ever MLS playoff appearance in 2020.
Nani has been the first real talisman for Orlando City since the departure of Kaka and he is determined to take the team as far as possible.
"Since I arrived here my ambition was to try to help Orlando be one of the biggest clubs in the US and compete with the best teams," Nani commented.
"At the moment I feel like we are one of those teams that can challenge any team and that's a big reason why I feel very comfortable here at this club and I want to stay."
Optimistic about the future of MLS
The ex-Manchester United man believes there is a lot of quality in MLS this year, despite recent criticism of the league, and he believes the future of the game in the United States in bright.
"You have a lot of talents in this league," Nani said.
"There's Lucas Zelarayan at Colombus, Raul Ruidiaz from Seattle, Carles Gil from New England. There are a lot of players shining in this league.
"And then you have Chicharito. Big stars, so it's normal to see quality on the field.
"It's great to have players to compete with and motivate yourself against as well.
"It's not like what a lot of people were saying about MLS because every year I've been in MLS it's been amazing.
"It's been much better so I'm very positive about the future of MLS."
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