Former Manchester United star Nani recently named his ultimate teammates XI and he snubbed a few big names in the process.
The Portuguese winger made over 700 career appearances and got the chance to play alongside plenty of world-class stars over the years.
When asked by The Icon League on TikTok to name his ultimate teammates XI, these were the 11 players he selected.
GK: Edwin van der Sar
Nani spent four seasons playing alongside Van der Sar at Old Trafford and it’s no surprise that the Dutch shot-stopper made the cut in this XI.
The pair won 10 trophies while playing together, including the Champions League in 2008.
RB: Joao Cancelo
Nani snubbed the likes of Gary Neville, Rafael, Antonio Valencia and Jose Bosingwa in order to fit Cancelo into his XI.
The pair briefly played together for Portugal and also had a stint together at Valencia. In total, they played 23 games alongside each other for club and country.
CB: Bruno Alves
Nani’s selection of Alves doesn’t come as much of a surprise, considering he played over 100 games alongside the Portuguese defender.
They predominantly played together on the international stage, but also enjoyed a stint together in Turkey with Fenerbahce.
CB: Rio Ferdinand
Having played alongside Ferdinand for seven seasons at Old Trafford, his inclusion in this XI was practically guaranteed.
The pair still seem to have a close relationship to this day as the Portuguese winger regularly makes an appearance on Ferdinand’s YouTube channel.
In total, they played 141 games alongside each other and won plenty of trophies during that time.
LB: Patrice Evra
Throughout Nani’s entire career, he played more games alongside Evra than any other player.
In total, they played 185 games together at Manchester United, but amazingly, they never combined for a goal during that time.
CM: Paul Scholes
“One player who really surprised me and impressed me a lot in the beginning was Paul Scholes – he was phenomenal,” Nani said in a Q&A with Football Wave.
Most players who play alongside Scholes cite him as the best midfielder they’ve ever played alongside and Nani certainly rates him among the best maestros.
CM: Deco
Nani made 23 appearances for Portugal alongside Deco between 2007 and 2010.
They might have been at the opposite ends of their careers when they played together, but even in his final years, Deco’s quality on the ball was still obvious.
The creative midfielder regularly gave Nani advice when he was first breaking onto the scene, along with Portugal’s fellow experienced stars.
“Deco, I remember Maniche, Luis Boa Morte. My first days, I remember the most experienced players helped me a lot,” Nani told Goal.
“They were giving me advice, they were yelling at me every time I did something that wasn’t the best for the team, like when I was dribbling and not passing the ball at the right time. They were teaching me.”
CM: Bruno Fernandes
Nani never played alongside Fernandes for Portugal, but they did play together at Sporting.
According to the man himself, he advised Fernandes to make the move to Manchester United in 2020.
“My advice, at that time, I told him that the best move for him was to go England because his style of game is the one they appreciate a lot,” Nani said.
“After a couple of months, he moved to Manchester United and I was so, so happy because that advice and his choice were matching.
“It was beautiful because the moment I saw him play there, being the best player, scoring goals. It’s nice when it works like that.”
No prizes for getting this one.
QUIZ: Can you name every player Man Utd have signed from the Liga Portugal?
RW: Carlos Tevez
While not traditionally a right winger, Nani had to squeeze Tevez into his XI somewhere.
The Argentine forward joined United during the same summer as Nani and the pair immediately struck up a bond on the pitch.
While you won’t find many United fans who fondly talk about Tevez these days, he’s still got a place in Nani’s XI.
LW: Ryan Giggs
Nani then made a bold decision and selected Giggs ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo in his XI.
In fairness to Giggs, we can hardly begrudge his inclusion in this team. While Nani only caught the backend of his career, he was still performing at an elite level.
Capable of playing in multiple roles and still delivering top-class performances, Giggs was the epitome of consistency.
ST: Wayne Rooney
To round off Nani’s XI, he selected Rooney as the best out-and-out striker that he’s ever played alongside.
In total, they played 155 games alongside each other and they combined for 23 goals during that time.
“Rooney is a special player,” Nani told Omnisport.
“Strong, fantastic quality, shooting, vision – very intelligent. I enjoyed playing with him. He is a player who is a big part of Man Utd.”
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