Rio Ferdinand invited former Manchester United teammate Nani on his podcast as the pair discussed their time at Old Trafford
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Rio Ferdinand, Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani
Nani with Rio Ferdinand during their Man United days(Image: Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)
Rio Ferdinand has shared a unique moment he had with former Manchester United teammate Nani during their golden days at the club.
The former defender enjoyed seven years playing alongside Nani, securing several trophies during their time together. Recently, Ferdinand welcomed his former teammate onto his Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast, where they fondly reminisced about their camaraderie and discussed figures like Wayne Rooney, Danny Welbeck, and Ashley Young.
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Prior to their conversation, Ferdinand asked questions for the Portuguese in the WhatsApp group they all share. The iconic picture of Nani crying during a game against Liverpool at Anfield in 2011 did the rounds.
"You know what I put in the group, Nani," Ferdinand said as him and Nani burst into laughter. "Nani, I put the picture of you at Anfield when you were crying.
"Youngy [Ashley Young] just text back: 'Why did Nani cry?"'
The Portuguese was on the receiving end of a brutal tackle from Jamie Carragher, a challenge that would undoubtedly warrant a red card if it happened today. The challenge happened at Anfield during a Premier League match that saw Liverpool win 3-1.
The studs-up tackle caused a severe gash on Nani's shin, forcing him to be withdrawn at halftime on a stretcher.
Ferdinand added: "This is what we used to love. Nobody took it badly, look at Nani there, just laughing. This is what it was about, everybody in the training ground everyday laughing. But when you get on the pitch, it's serious."
Nani and Jamie Carragher
Nani after the tackle by Jamie Carragher
The incident was also previously recalled by their teammate Patrice Evra. "You remember Anfield when Nani got tackled by Jamie Carragher?" Evra asked Carragher on his podcast FIVE in 2023.
"I remember he got butchered; he nearly broke his leg. We started fighting with Liverpool players, Steven Gerrard, and then Scholsey [Paul Scholes] came and he saw Nani crying. He said "f*** that, let's go.'
"After that Ferguson gave him two weeks off because he said he needed to recover from that because we were waiting for him because in that team we didn't care we were ready to kill him.
"Because you know someone crying at Anfield... and even Ferguson, you remember when he said: 'I hope your legs are f*****g broken I really hope your legs are broken.' Ferguson always wanted to kill Nani when he was falling on the floor, saying "you can't be a United player and doing that".
Nani won four Premier League titles and one Champions League with the Reds during an eight-year stint at Old Trafford between 2007 and 2015.
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