Nani's Ron to a winner

Posted Saturday, May 28, 2011 by The Sun

MANCHESTER UNITED player of the year Nani has finally stepped out of the giant shadow of Cristiano Ronaldo.

Nani, 24, has just enjoyed his finest season in a United shirt since his £14million arrival from Sporting Lisbon four years ago.

And while that may not be enough to earn him a place in the starting line-up for tonight's Champions League final against Barcelona, he is confident he can make an impact coming off the Wembley bench.

He said: "This has been my best season at United. I did very well with my contributions to the team winning the Premier League.

"I have worked very hard in the past year and have been given more opportunities to play.

"When I arrived there were a lot of comparisons with Cristiano because we are both from Portugal and we play in the same sort of position.

"But I don't want to be the same as him. I don't want to copy him and be the new Ronaldo. I want to be Nani. I want to do my job in my own way. I'm a different person to Cristiano and I work and play in a different way."

Yet he does remain in constant contact with his international team-mate. Nani said: "When I arrived in Manchester, Cristiano helped me a lot. I lived in his house for the first couple of months and he was so important in helping me to settle in.

"He could speak English and I learned many things from him about life and about football in England. He is a great professional and example for anyone who wants to play good football and become a superstar. We still talk. We text each other all the time and speak all the time with the national team.

"We haven't spoken about Barcelona yet but I am sure he will wish me good luck before the final because I know he wants United to win on Saturday."

Nani was named as United's player of the year by his own team-mates last week after a season in which he contributed 10 goals and 18 assists.

He said: "It's a great honour because a lot of United players have done so well this season and it's a fantastic feeling when your team-mates vote for you. I have become more of a team player this season and the manager's help has been so important.

"He is the most important person in my career and if I am doing well at the moment it's because of the opportunities he has given me.

"I am showing a better side to my game because the manager has shown me what I have to do to improve.

"In four years at United I have won three League titles and we have reached three Champions League finals. I never imagined I would achieve so much so soon."

For the 2008 Champions League final win over Chelsea in Moscow, Nani came on in the 11th minute of extra-time to score the crucial fifth penalty in United's 6-5 shoot-out victory.

The following year, he didn't leave the bench as United were overrun by Barcelona in Rome.

He added: "When I think of all that I have already won with United, it is so special.

"If you win the league once, it's good. To win three in four years is fantastic. Only at United can you do that and hopefully there will be many more to come."

But Nani warns there will be no room for error against a Barcelona team regarded as one of the greatest sides in football history.

He admitted: "Two years ago in Rome, we played very well for the first 10 minutes but then one mistake cost us the game.

"This time we have to be very focused and concentrated on what we're doing for the entire 90 minutes. That is where we can improve on last time."

Nani will have his extended family with him at Wembley.

One of eight brothers and sisters born in the Cape Verde islands off the coast of Senegal, he moved to Portugal when he was three.

Christened Luis Carlo Almeida da Cunha, it was his sister who first called him Nani. He explains: "She used to take care of me when I was a baby and started calling me Nani because she thought it was a cute name.

"It's a nickname which has stuck with me forever."

Tonight it's a name which could be up in lights at Wembley.