From Poverty to the Premier League: The incredible story of Nani

In his prime, Nani was one of the best Portuguese footballers of his generation. The talented winger played for top teams in Europe and also regularly showed his class for his country. This is Nani's incredible life and career.

Nani – who has Cape Verdean roots – was born in Amadora, a small town in metropolitan Lisbon. His full name is Luís Carlos Almeida da Cunha.

He was raised by his aunt after being abandoned by his parents at a young age and grew up in poverty.

Nani has no less than 14 siblings: nine on his mother's side and five on his father's side.

As a young boy, he joined Real Massamá, his first club, where he would soon attract the interest of the big boys.

This led to Nani moving to top Portuguese club Sporting CP in 2003.

After two seasons in Sporting's youth system, Nani was promoted to the first team.

He made his debut on 10 August 2005 against Udinese in a UEFA Champions League third-round qualifier. In October of that same year, he scored his first goal for Sporting.

Nani continued to perform well, helping Sporting to the Portuguese Cup in 2007.

Meanwhile, the winger had been on the radar of big European clubs, and it was Manchester United who pulled the trigger in 2007, paying €25.5 million.

Nani signed a five-year contract and would play alongside compatriot Cristiano Ronaldo.

Nani made his official debut against Chelsea in the Community shield, which United won after penalties.

A few weeks later, he scored his first official goal for United with a long-range shot against Tottenham Hotspur.

Nani would finish his first season at United with 41 appearances, 3 goals, and 9 assists.

The highlight of his first season at Old Trafford was winning the UEFA Champions League, with Nani converting an important penalty in the shoot-out. It would be the beginning of a trophy-loaden career for Nani at United.

During his time at United, Nani also won no fewer than four Premier League titles, two League Cups, four Community Shields and one FIFA Club World Cup.

He would bid farewell to United with a total of 230 appearances, 41 goals and 71 assists.

Nani's adventure at United ended temporarily in 2014, when he was loaned out to his old club Sporting, with whom he again won the Portuguese Cup.

Nani's next stop was Fenerbahçe. The top Turkish club reached an agreement with United on a €6 million transfer fee.

Nani's stay in Turkey was short-lived, as he left for Spain's Valencia CF a year later.

After 26 appearances for Lazio, Nani was loaned to Italian side Lazio in the summer of 2017, where he scored 3 goals and provided 3 assists.

In the summer of 2018, Nani would return to Sporting for the third time in his career, which would prove to be a successful spell.

He would win the Portuguese League Cup and the Portuguese Cup, bringing his total number of trophies with Sporting to four.

In February 2019, Nani would venture outside Europe for the first time when he signed a three-year contract with MLS club Orlando City.

Nani did not win any trophies with Orlando City, although he came very close in the MLS is Back Tournament, losing the final against the Portland Timbers.

In January 2022, he left the MLS and went to play for Italian side Venezia.

It was to be a short stay in Italy, as Nani left for Melbourne Victory in July of the same year.

Nani played just 10 times for Melbourne and felt it was time to return to Europe. One year later, he signed a contract with Turkish Adana Demirspor, where he still plays today.

So far, Nani has had an impressive club career, but he has also made his mark on Portugal's national team.

He made 112 appearances for his country, scored 23 goals and helped win the 2016 EUROs, the biggest football triumph in the history of Portuguese football.

Thanks to this, Nani will go down in history as a Portuguese football legend, who has made a name for himself worldwide.