Manchester United is a special club in the sense that if a player leaves on good terms, the “ex-Man Utd player” part of their career is forever a highlight reel.
That can be seen in the players who’ve left Man Utd and how fondly they talk about the club and maintain a connection with Old Trafford and the fans.
The shared camaraderie and the common United threat that binds these players has been visible once again as a club favourite announced his retirement.
Messages have flooded in from players like David de Gea, Cristiano Ronaldo, Jesse Lingard, and more as Luis Nani announced his retirement from football.
Antonio Valencia, Nani, Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez, David de Gea and Rafael da Silva of Manchester United celebrate on the pitch after the Barcl...
Photo by John Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images
David de Gea and Cristiano Ronaldo react to Luis Nani retirement
In a career which is marked by multiple highlight reel moments and breathtaking instances of inspiration, Luis Nani leaves the game as one of its brightest enigmas.
His career spanned several continents but he managed to end it in a poetic way, at his hometown club, Estrela de Amadora playing in the top division of Portuguese football.
Coincidentally, his United connection would stay alive until the end as his last competitive appearances came against Ruben Amorim’s Sporting before he left to become Man Utd manager.
Nani announced his retirement on Instagram with a heartfelt message, looking forward to “turning a new leaf” and “focusing on new goals and dreams”.
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David de Gea waxed lyrical about the winger in a message that read: “What a player. It was a pleasure to have played alongside you.”
Cristiano Ronaldo, the man he was expected to replace at United, used his nickname for Nani, writing: “Parabens, Nanaca”, with a thumbs-up emoji.
Jesse Lingard joined in on the tribute train: “Good luck bro congratulations on your career was a pleasure to grace the pitch with you”, with two heart emojis.
Nani is a Man Utd cult hero
Some players never quite make it to the extent their talent warranted and Nani is perhaps in that bracket where his ceiling as a player was far higher than it ultimately ended up being.
However, that doesn’t negate the fact that he was a “Man United winger” in the truest sense, embodying Sir Alex Ferguson’s demand of getting the fans out of their seats.
His moments of inspiration on the pitch were enough to take the fans’ breath away and while that came in between moments of maddening inconsistency, he left United as a cult hero.
By all accounts, he remains a favourite in the footballing world at large, too, with more tributes expected to pour in for the wonderfully fulfilling career he had even before and after Man Utd.
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