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Manchester United have a rich history with signings from the Portuguese top-flight. The likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani earned their stripes while playing at Old Trafford under Sir Alex Ferguson. However, they were not the only two signings to have come from the Primeira Liga. Ferguson recognized potential in all the countries he scouted and Portugal was no different.
When the Scotsman signed Ronaldo from Sporting Lisbon, the forward was still a kid. It was under Ferguson that Ronaldo found a foothold in world football. Ferguson found similar gems in Portugal, whom he brought to England and then developed them into stars that could give him success in the longer run.
Manchester United have always scouted Portugal for signings
Ferguson's successors have traveled a similar route. Bruno Fernandes' recent success at the Manchester-based club is yet another example of how good the country is at producing top footballing talent.
However, not all have managed to succeed. The likes of Bebe have found the move to Old Trafford too big to handle and have faded into oblivion. Even more recent players such as Marcos Rojo and Diogo Dalot failed to settle down well in England.
In this article we are going to list five of Manchester United's best signings from the Primeira Liga in Portugal.
#5 Anderson
Some might question the inclusion of Anderson on this list but the Brazilian was one of the brightest talents in world football when he joined Manchester United.
Manchester United paid a fee in the region of €30m to Porto for his services, making him one of their most high-profile signings back in 2007.
He was initially rejected a work permit but it was granted later because of the exceptional talent he would bring to the Premier League.
Anderson was given a role similar to the one at Porto, just behind striker Wayne Rooney, but eventually settled into a deeper role.
It wasn't without any reason that Sir Alex Ferguson trusted Anderson with a spot-kick in the UEFA Champions League final against Chelsea in May 2008, one that he calmly converted. Anderson ended the season with as many as 38 appearances overall, setting up two goals for his team-mates.
However, an injury prevented him from excelling even further heading into his second season at Old Trafford. Anderson failed to fulfill his potential, but he still enjoyed considerable success in terms of silverware at Manchester United after arriving from the Primeira Liga.
Before leaving Manchester United, Anderson notched up 181 appearances, scoring nine goals and setting up 21 more for his team-mates.
#4 Nani
The summer of 2008 saw Manchester United showing much activity in the transfer market, bringing in a number of new signings to strengthen their existing squad. Nani was one of the most exciting signings made, arriving from Sporting Lisbon.
The Portuguese cost the Red Devils a fee in the region of €25m and he quickly developed a strong partnership with his new team-mates Ronaldo and Rooney.
Nani was one of the primary weapons in Sir Alex Ferguson's arsenal. He was perfectly suited to the Scot's counter-attacking football, often catching the opposition off guard. With Ronaldo in his side, Nani developed a formidable combination, giving further ferocity to Manchester United's wing-play.
Prior to Ronaldo's departure in 2009, Nani went on to win successive Premier League titles at Manchester United alongside his fellow Portuguese.
Nani stayed on until 2015, winning two more league titles before his eventual departure. He was also part of Manchester United's Champions League winning squad back in 2008.
His figures for Manchester United mount up to 41 goals and 73 assists in 230 appearances. Undoubtedly, he remains one of Manchester United's most successful signings from the Portuguese league.
#3 Victor Lindelof
Victor Lindelof remains one of Manchester United's best signings from the Primeira Liga this decade. The Red Devils confirmed the signing of the Swedish international from Benfica back in the summer of 2017.
Manchester United paid the Portuguese club €35m for Lindelof's services with another potential €10m as add-ons.
Lindelof's performances in a Manchester United shirt have been impressive. He has saved the side in a number of tricky situations, excelling at his one-on-one defending. A decent 71 score at ball recoveries and interceptions suggest that he is always alert to the threat on offer from opposition attackers.
The defender is also vocal at the back and has matured as a natural leader over the course of his Manchester United career.
Additionally, Lindelof is good at ball retention and can link-up well with his team-mates. He faces no problem whatsoever when Manchester United try to build-up play from the back.
Though he is not as good a ball-carrying defender as his defensive partner Harry Maguire, he is well-capable of playing the ball out from the back.
One of the three signings Jose Mourinho made that summer, Lindelof has so far featured in 161 games for Manchester United, scoring three goals and setting up four more.
Despite the lack of hype surrounding his arrival, Lindelof remains one of the best signings of the Jose Mourinho era.
With the signing of Raphael Varane, Solskjaer is looking to address loopholes in defense this season. It will be interesting to see how Lindelof copes with the competition for places at Old Trafford now.
#2 Bruno Fernandes
Bruno Fernandes remains one of the best ever signings at Manchester United. The man has single-handedly changed the attitude of the entire team, not only contributing with goals but proving to be a dominating influence on the pitch.
His penetrating passes help create scoring opportunities for the strikers while his absence makes the team suffer. Before the arrival of Fernandes, Pogba was Manchester United's main midfield creator. However, the Frenchman's issues with injury affected the team.
Fernandes gelled well with Solskjaer's 4-2-3-1 formation, playing in the hole and moving seamlessly up and down the pitch.
The signing from Sporting Lisbon has a certain flair for penetrative passes - which means passes that are made into empty spaces behind the defenders.
Out of all the Premier League players last term, only Kevin De Bruyne of Manchester City (3.64) attempted more through balls than Fernandes (3.38) per 90 minutes.
Manchester United paid Sporting Lisbon €80m for Fernandes' services and the Portuguese has done everything so far to justify his transfer fee.
Fernandes has 40 goals to his name in 80 appearances, while he also set up 25 more for his team-mates.
He helped Manchester United finish third at the end of the 2019-20 season and second last season, even helping them reach the Europa League final in May.
#1 Cristiano Ronaldo
The top spot in the list of the greatest Manchester United signings from the Primeira Liga in Portugal has to go to the larger-than-life figure of Cristiano Ronaldo.
Credit for the emergence of the club legend obviously has to go to Ferguson, who bought him from Sporting Lisbon back in 2003 for approximately €14m. The move made him the most expensive teenage signing in English football history back then.
Ronaldo was initially used in a rather deeper role in Ferguson's 4-4-2 formation. However, following the signings of Carlos Tevez from West Ham in 2007 and Dimitar Berbatov in 2008, the Portuguese was used in a rather advanced role as part of a three-man attack.
This increased Ronaldo's attacking prowess, and he ended the 2007/08 season with 42 goals from 49 matches.
Ronaldo was good at beating defenders with his pace, which is why he was preferred on the right-side of the pitch with Nani on the left. He was also good at delivering crosses inside the box, allowing strikers such as Rooney, Tevez and Berbatov later on to capitalize.
Ronaldo gradually developed aerial prowess, which he later perfected at Real Madrid and Juventus. His ability from free-kicks helped Manchester United come out of many precarious situations.
Before Real Madrid made Ronaldo their blockbuster signing in 2009, the Manchester United star won three Premier League titles, two EFL Cups, the Champions League and the FA Cup.
Ronaldo was just eight short of playing 300 games for Manchester United when he left, scoring 118 goals and setting up 69 more for his team-mates.
Without the shadow of a doubt, signing Ronaldo from the Primeira Liga in Portugal would have to be one of the smartest transfer businesses by Manchester United in their history.
