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Nani named his ultimate teammates XI recently and surprisingly snubbed Cristiano Ronaldo. His side was mostly filled with Manchester United and Sporting CP stars, as he spent the majority of his career at the two clubs.
As per Planet Football, Nani went with Edwin van der Sar in goal, with João Cancelo, Bruno Alves, Rio Ferdinand, and Patrice Evra in the backline. Bruno Fernandes joined Paul Scholes and Deco in the midfield, though Nani never played with the Portuguese midfielder at Manchester United.
He advised Fernandes in 2020 to join Manchester United and said:
"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. 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."
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In attack, Nani picked Carlos Tevez and Ryan Giggs on the wings, with Wayne Rooney down the middle. It was a surprise that Cristiano Ronaldo did not make it to the team, though they played 130 times together for club and country, while combining for 14 goals.
When Nani claimed Cristiano Ronaldo was always competitive
Nani spoke to Manchester United's website in 2020 and claimed that Cristiano Ronaldo was competitive in everything he did. He recalled that the Portuguese superstar was always challenging him in the swimming pool, on the tennis courts, and also at the ping-pong table. He said (via GOAL):
"Cristiano was very competitive. When you're staying in his house for a day, it means he challenges you at any time. He had a swimming pool, a tennis court and ping-pong table. Sometimes, it's just competing to see who knows who's telling the truth, or who is right about something. Every time, there was a discussion to see who was right or who was better."
"The only time we were not playing was the night time, we'd sit on the sofa talking and Cristiano would just disappear [to bed]. We'd learn because me and Ando would be very tired when we woke up. He'd already been up two hours earlier, checking the news and would say: 'Okay, let's go'. He was the only one who had a car then, in the beginning, so we had to be ready to go with him. Fantastic moments and great memories we have."
Nani announced his retirement from football in December 2024 after playing for Estrela da Amadora, while Cristiano Ronaldo continues to play at Al Nassr. The Portuguese star played for 10 clubs in his senior career, which started in 2005.
