A new era of Orlando City SC soccer is underway, and the Lions’ roster reflects the transition. In addition to acquiring a host of young, new faces, City have also brought in leadership and experience.
On Feb. 18, the Lions announced the acquisition of Portuguese men’s national-team winger Luís Nani. Nani joins the Central Florida side on a three-year contract as a designated player.
“This is an exciting day for our organization,” Lions Executive Vice President of Soccer Operations Luiz Muzzi said, per the release. “Nani brings tremendous experience to our roster. He’s a dynamic winger with quality abilities to move and cross the ball, impact games and lead the offensive play.”
Nani played a majority of his European career with Manchester United FC, teaming up with fellow Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo. There, he scored 41 times over 230 appearances in all competitions, winning four Premier League titles, two League Cups and a UEFA Champions League crown in 2008.
He made his final appearance for Manchester United in 2014 after returning to Sporting Clube de Portugal, his club of origin, on a season-long loan. Nani scored 12 goals in 37 matches Sporting CP from 2014 to 2015.
Afterward, he made appearances for three other clubs — Fenerbahçe SK, Valencia CF and SS Lazio — scoring 20 times across all 98 appearances before ultimately returning to Sporting CP from 2018 to 2019. The 32-year-old most recently posted eight goals in 28 matches for the Portuguese side.
Nani is, perhaps, a familiar name to American soccer fans. He played for Manchester United in the 2011 Major League Soccer All-Star Game, and, three years later, scored a fifth-minute goal against the United States men’s national team in the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
In total, Nani has recorded 112 appearances and 24 goals for Portugal.
Orlando City open their season on March 2 at 2:30 p.m. when they host New York City FC.
For more highlights of the Lions, as they integrate the Portuguese star, follow Victor Tan on Twitter at @NDR_VictorTan.
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