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Players: Abel Freddy Adu H. Almeida Pablo Aimar Bruno Alves Anderson J. Andrade N. Assis Vitor Baia Boa Morte Bosingwa M. Caneira Cardozo R. Carvalho Ze Castro Jorge Costa Rui Costa Conceicao Costinha F. Couto M. da Costa Dady Danny Deco Derlei Di Maria C. Martins Y. Djalo Duda P. Emanuel M. Fernandes P. Ferreira Luis Figo Luis Filipe Nuno Gomes L. Gonzalez Helton Izmailov Karagounis Katsouranis Liedson L. Lopez Luisao David Luiz Makukula Maniche Mantorras F. Meira R. Meireles P. Mendes Miguel Miguelito Moreira J. Moutinho Nani Nelson R. Patricio Pauleta C. Peixoto Pepe Petit Pereirinha Joao Pinto H. Postiga Polga Quaresma Quim J. Ribeiro Ricardo R. Rocha F. Rochemback C. Rodriguez Ronaldo Romagnoli P. Sousa Simao Tarik Tiago J. Tomas Tonel Miguel Veloso Hugo Viana Vukcevic Abel Xavier H. Yebda Select player

Player profile: Nani

Full name: Luis Carlos Almeida da Cunha

Position: Forward

Date of Birth: 17 November 1986

Birthplace: Amadora, Portugal

Manchester United winger Nani is the latest outstanding talent to be plucked from Sporting’s seemingly endless conveyor belt of world-class wide players. The same system that produced Luis Figo, Simao, Cristiano Ronaldo and Ricardo Quaresma appears to have unearthed another sensation capable of attaining the heights of such exalted company.

Nani was brought up in the poor Lisbon suburb of Amadora. A complicated family background saw him being raised by an aunt and he used football as a release from his turbulent childhood.

Too poor to afford the bus or train fair, he walked three miles to train day after day, or fare-dodged his way to his local club, Massama, on the outskirts of Lisbon, earning himself a sharp ticking off from the police on one occasion.

His big break came when he was spotted by Sporting scouts who were so impressed they quickly made sure he joined the club’s famed youth academy and, as they say, the rest is history and a happy one at that.

His speed, strength and trickery led many to compare him with Cristiano Ronaldo, and like his Manchester United teammate, Nani has the added bonus of having a keen eye for goal. He is equally at home on either flank.

He broke into the first team at 18 years of age, and made an immediate impression with his dazzling footwork and extreme speed, scoring 6 goals in his debut season.

Trademark celebration

Each goal is exuberantly celebrated, with an acrobatic somersault on the run that wouldn’t shame an Olympic gymnast.

Nani enjoyed a blistering start to the 2006/07 season with two goals in Sporting’s first two matches and another on his international debut where he gave a man-of-the-match display against Denmark. That was followed up by an outstanding goal in the Champions League against Spartak Moscow.

Europe’s biggest clubs began to take note, and fans of the Lisbon club were then left in shock as Manchester United paid 25.5 million euros to take the precociously talented winger to Old Trafford on 30 May 2007.

Smooth Premiership transition

Nani’s debut season at the Theatre of Dreams was an unqualified success. He arrived amidst fierce competition for a first team place, having initially been pencilled in by boss Alex Ferguson as understudy to Ryan Giggs and Cristiano Ronaldo.

However, spectacular long-range goals against Tottenham and Middlesbrough and further strikes against rivals Arsenal and Liverpool, as well as countless assists, came in a season in which Nani racked up 37 appearances as the Red Devils won a Premiership and Champions League double.

CLUB APPEARANCES* GOALS Sporting 58 10 Manchester United** 26 3       PORTUGAL** 16 2

* League only
** Up to June 2008