Nani has retired from the game after almost 25 years at the top level, and while his time at Manchester United will be remembered for his success, one bust-up with Sir Alex Ferguson has stayed with him for years
Nani and Giggs were both confronted by Ferguson
Nani and Ryan Giggs were both confronted by Sir Alex Ferguson
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Image: Getty Images)
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Former Manchester United winger Nani will be remembered at Old Trafford for his silky skills and winning trophies - and for an incident involving Ryan Giggs and a fuming Sir Alex Ferguson.
While many United stars enjoyed wild success under Ferguson, they were all too aware that the worst sin they could commit at the club was getting on the wrong side of the Scot. By his own account, Nani, who has just called time on his long career, was often on edge around Ferguson and seemingly did his best to avoid the infamous 'hairdryer' treatment.
However, despite his best efforts, the former Sporting CP midfielder found himself directly in his manager's line of sight after missing a penalty against Fulham in 2010. To compound matters, it was a penalty he should never have even taken, with ex-Wales captain Giggs being the player on official spot-kick duty.
However, the Portuguese star admitted that he publicly betrayed Giggs in the dressing room following the game in a bid to save his own skin. But that tactic didn't hold sway with Ferguson.
'I was told to go f*** myself by Man Utd team-mate – that's when everything changed'
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"[Ferguson] was my neighbour and we used to go to London by train," Nani told the UTD Podcast in 2020. "His wife or his family used to leave him in the train station so on the way back he has no driver to take him so he was looking for someone who lives close to him to give him a ride. So I said, 'OK boss, I'll take you home!' But that day, it's so funny believe me! The day I took him home was after a game against Fulham away, and I was on the bench.
"I was playing unbelievable with a lot of confidence. We won a penalty and it was Ryan Giggs who took the penalties. I felt confident and Giggs didn't say anything. I took the penalty and I missed. The penalty should make it 3-2. We are going back home that day and I say, 'Boss, I can take you home'. I drove him back home and he didn't talk to me in the car! In the dressing room he killed me! He said, 'Nani, who do you think you are?'"
Despite Nani's hope that Giggs could take some of the flak off him, Ferguson, in classic fashion, pivoted to his other mercurial winger and let rip at him too. Nani added: "'Who gave you permission to take the penalty? Ryan!' And then he killed Ryan Giggs, because he said, 'Ryan, why did you let him take the penalty?'
"Ryan said, 'He grabbed the ball and I let him.' Oh my god, that day was incredible. I took him home and I felt very uncomfortable driving home."
Nani opened up on his relationship with Sir Alex Ferguson
Regardless of their dressing room stand-off, Nani revealed that Ferguson was in fact very fond of him. As Nani's English improved the duo forged a closer bond with the former winger admitting he learned a lot about his legendary manager.
"At the beginning, I was very scared of him. Like a father, you know?" Nani said. "To make a mistake or do something wrong, because sometimes to interact with him, I don't know. I see him talking with other players and I want to be involved but I think what am I going to say, you know? I don't know.
"But I was scared of him until I learned to understand and was able to express myself. My English has never been perfect, or going to be, but at that time it was worse than now and when we he found I could speak more with him, he started coming to me and giving me more attention. And from then, I learned more about Sir Alex Ferguson. What he wanted to do, who he was and the relationship started to be better."
Nani represented United from 2007-2015 and made 147 appearances for the club netting 25 goals. He left United with four Premier League titles, two League Cups and a Champions League title under his belt. Following stints in Turkey, Spain, Italy, Australia and the United States, the Portuguese star ended his career at his hometown club of Estrela Amadora this week.
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