Melbourne Victory have lured former Manchester United and Portugal star Nani to the Isuzu UTE A-League.
A Premier League and UEFA Champions League winner with the Premier League powerhouse, and a European Championship winner with Portugal in 2016, Nani has joined Victory on a two-year deal.
While his international team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo will not be travelling to Melbourne with Manchester United, Nani will get the chance to take on his former club when they face Victory at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday night.
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Friday, July 15
Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
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The 35-year-old arrives after a season in Italy with Venezia, who were relegated from Serie A in 2021-22; he made 10 appearances after moving to Venice during the January Transfer Window.
“I’m excited to be coming to the A-League with Melbourne Victory and I’m looking forward to the challenge ahead,” Nani said.
“I have spoken with the coach, Tony, and I know that Melbourne Victory is a club that wants to achieve success and I want to play a role in helping the team achieve that.
“From what I have seen, the fans in Melbourne are not only the best in the league but they rival the atmosphere in Europe and I’m looking forward to being a part of that on the field in a Victory shirt and playing for them this season.”
Nani is Victory’s seven new signing, joining Tomi Juric, Paul Izzo, George Timotheou, Noah Smith, Eli Adams and Ahmad Taleb.
“We’re proud to be able to recruit a player like Nani to our club and believe he will be an incredible asset for Melbourne Victory and the entire A-League,” Victory head coach Tony Popovic said.
“He has enjoyed an incredibly successful career at both club level and international level and we believe his quality and experience will be key in achieving our ambitions this season.”
Australian Professional Leagues (APL) CEO Danny Townsend added: “Marquee players are an important part of our accelerated growth strategy and this commitment by APL and Melbourne Victory is a statement of intent as we seek to deliver the best on and off-field experience to engage A-Leagues fans.”
The Portuguese brings a wealth of experience and pedigree to AAMI Park, where Popovic is looking to add even more quality to a Victory side that lost to eventual champions Western United in the semi-finals last term.
Signed by Alex Ferguson’s United from Sporting CP for €25.5million in 2007, Nani won four Premier League titles at Old Trafford – he was part of the last Red Devils team to conquer England’s top tier in 2012-13.
Nani also clinched the Champions League alongside compatriot Cristiano Ronaldo, as well as two EFL Cups, four Community Shields and the FIFA Club World Cup, while scoring 40 goals in 230 appearances in all competitions.
After leaving Manchester in 2015, Nani spent time with Turkish giants Fenerbahce, LaLiga club Valencia, Serie A outfit Lazio and boyhood club Sporting in Portugal.
In three seasons with Orlando City in MLS, Nani scored 31 goals in 88 matches across all competitions before making the move to Venezia.
At international level, Nani amassed 112 caps and 24 goals following his 2006 debut.
The fifth-most capped player in Portugal’s history and in the country’s all-time top 10 for goals scored, Nani helped the Selecao to Euro 2016 glory.
Nani scored three goals throughout the tournament – the most by a Portugal player alongside Ronaldo – as Fernando Santos’ men upstaged hosts France in the decider.
