119-476: Luís Carlos Almeida da Cunha ComM (born 17 November 1986), commonly known as Nani ( Portuguese pronunciation: [naˈni] ), is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a winger for Primeira Liga club Estrela da Amadora . Nani began his career with Sporting CP , joining the youth team in 2003 before making his first-team debut in 2005. During his two-year tenure in Portugal he won
238-471: A hat-trick by Alfredo Di Stéfano. This was Real Madrid's fifth consecutive title, a record that still stands today. Real Madrid's reign ended in the 1960–61 season when bitter rivals Barcelona dethroned them in the first round. Barcelona were defeated in the final by Portuguese side Benfica 3–2 at the Wankdorf Stadium . Reinforced by Eusébio , Benfica defeated Real Madrid 5–3 at
357-399: A 0–1 away victory over Sunderland. Nani's third season with Manchester United ended with 34 appearances and seven goals in all competitions. On 22 August 2010, Nani missed a penalty in the 87th minute away to Fulham, and they then equalised two minutes later through Brede Hangeland to end the match 2–2. Six days later, in a 3–0 home victory over West Ham United, Nani scored his first goal of
476-575: A 1–0 win for Sporting. He scored his first goal of this loan on 17 September, opening a 1–1 draw at Maribor in the first match of the 2014–15 UEFA Champions League group stage . He was also voted Man of the Match. Nani scored his first league goal for the club four days later in a 4–0 win against Gil Vicente On 3 January 2015, Nani was sent off for two bookings in a 3–0 win over Estoril . Nani scored in Sporting's penalty shootout victory over Braga in
595-568: A 1–3 league victory over Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium . Nani's goal was first thought of as a Manuel Almunia own goal by many sources, but was confirmed as belonging to Nani on 26 March by the Dubious Goals Panel . Following this performance, Nani then set up the second of a 5–0 home win over Portsmouth . "Maturity is why we're seeing the best of him now, his last three games have been absolutely first class but today
714-555: A 2–1 home win over Vitória Setúbal . In one of his final games on 26 January, the 2019 Taça da Liga Final in Braga, he scored Sporting's last penalty as they defeated Porto following a 1–1 draw. On 18 February 2019, Nani moved to Orlando City , signing a three-year contract on a Designated Player deal. He made his club debut on 2 March, coming on as a 70th minute substitute in Orlando's season opener at home against New York City FC ;
833-477: A 3–1 home win over Chelsea. He scored with a long-range strike after cutting inside from the right wing. He was also awarded with the man of the match. In United's following league match at the Britannia Stadium , Nani scored his third goal of the season in a 1–1 draw with Stoke City. He played a neat one-two with Darren Fletcher before making his way through Stoke's defence and firing a low shot inside
952-932: A 3–2 friendly victory against Budapest Honvéd , Hanot finally managed to convince UEFA to put into practice such a tournament. It was conceived in Paris in 1955 as the European Champion Clubs' Cup. The first European Cup took place during the 1955–56 season. Sixteen teams participated (some by invitation): AC Milan (Italy), AGF Aarhus (Denmark), Anderlecht (Belgium), Djurgården (Sweden), Gwardia Warszawa (Poland), Hibernian (Scotland), Partizan ( Yugoslavia ), PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands), Rapid Wien (Austria), Real Madrid (Spain), Rot-Weiss Essen ( West Germany ), Saarbrücken ( Saar ), Servette (Switzerland), Sporting CP (Portugal), Reims (France) and Vörös Lobogó (Hungary). The first European Cup match took place on 4 September 1955, and ended in
1071-399: A 3–2 victory over Bayern Munich . Despite United winning the match, they were eliminated from the competition due to the away goals rule when the aggregate score was 4–4. On 24 April, Nani scored his first league goal at Old Trafford in 18 months, netting United's second in a 3–1 home victory over Tottenham Hotspur. On 2 May, Nani scored for the second match in a row, netting the only goal in
1190-556: A 3–3 draw between Sporting CP and Partizan. The first goal in European Cup history was scored by João Baptista Martins of Sporting CP. The inaugural final took place at the Parc des Princes between Stade de Reims and Real Madrid on 13 June 1956. The Spanish squad came back from behind to win 4–3 thanks to goals from Alfredo Di Stéfano and Marquitos , as well as two goals from Héctor Rial . Real Madrid successfully defended
1309-415: A 4–0 win over Villa. Nani then followed this with another goal when chipping Tim Howard at his near post in a 4–4 draw at Old Trafford against Everton. During the season Nani scored a single Premier League goal, and three in all competitions, marking significant decrease compared with previous seasons. He played just 11 times in the league, including only seven as a starter, although United ended up winning
SECTION 10
#17327979463131428-406: A 4–1 loss to former side Manchester United. On 6 January 2023, during an A-League Men game against Brisbane Roar , he ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament in an accidental clash with opponent Connor Chapman , and was ruled out for the rest of the season. On 31 May 2023, the club confirmed Nani's departure. On 13 July 2023, Süper Lig club Adana Demirspor announced the signing of Nani on
1547-535: A 5–0 victory over the Faroe Islands on 20 August 2008. Nani scored the final goal of a 4–0 victory over Malta as Portugal started qualification for the 2010 World Cup on 6 September. He opened the scoring in the 3–2 home loss against Denmark four days later. Nani helped Portugal book a play-off place for the World Cup as he netted in the 4–0 home win over Malta on 14 October 2009. Nani was influential in
1666-455: A controversial second goal as United beat Tottenham Hotspur 2–0 at home. He scored into an empty net after Tottenham goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes rolled the ball out to take a free-kick he thought had been given for handball; however, play was allowed to go on as referee Mark Clattenburg did not blow his whistle. On 27 November, Nani scored United's fifth goal in a 7–1 home win over Blackburn Rovers . Nani netted his first goal of 2011 as he scored
1785-643: A cup for national champion clubs of Europe, was played and organised by Swiss club Servette . Held in Geneva , it brought together ten champions from across the continent. The tournament was won by Újpest of Hungary. Latin European nations came together to form the Latin Cup in 1949. After receiving reports from his journalists over the highly successful South American Championship of Champions of 1948, Gabriel Hanot , editor of L'Équipe , began proposing
1904-416: A deal to ensure tournament sponsors were given priority on television advertisements during matches, ensured that each of the tournament's main sponsors was given maximum exposure. From the 2012–13 knockout phase , UEFA used LED advertising hoardings installed in knockout participant stadiums, including the final. From the 2015–16 season onwards, UEFA has used such hoardings from the play-off round until
2023-490: A key member of the side. He represented his country at three European Championships , in 2008 , 2012 and 2016 , as well as in the 2014 FIFA World Cup . Nani started in the final of Euro 2016, and after Cristiano Ronaldo got injured, captained the team to victory. He made 112 appearances and scored 24 goals for his country in total. Nani was born on 17 November 1986 in Amadora , Lisbon metropolitan area , Portugal, and
2142-458: A logo, and the "starball". The starball was created by Design Bridge, a London-based firm selected by TEAM after a competition. TEAM gives particular attention to detail in how the colours and starball are depicted at matches. According to TEAM, "Irrespective of whether you are a spectator in Moscow or Milan, you will always see the same stadium dressing materials, the same opening ceremony featuring
2261-536: A number of people performing the most diverse functions such as ambassadors, businesspeople, military personnel, athletes and musicians. The Order of Merit has its origin in April 1927, when the Order of Instruction and Benefaction (Original Portuguese: Ordem da Instrução e da Benemerência ) was created. The goal of this now extinct order was to distinguish the services performed by people or corporations in order to further
2380-615: A one-year contract, with an option for a further year. He was in the squad for 28 league matches and 5 European Cup qualifiers and scored 4 goals in Adana Demirspor. On 13 May 2024, it was announced that he had left the club. Nani was the youngest member of the Portugal U21 squad at the 2006 UEFA Under-21 Championship , making his debut on 23 May 2006 in a 1–0 defeat to France . He appeared in all three matches, scoring no goals, before Portugal bowed out in group stages. During
2499-489: A play-off round, all played over two legs. The seven surviving teams enter the league phase, joining 29 teams qualified in advance. The 36 teams each play eight opponents, four home and four away. The 24 highest-ranked teams proceed to the knockout phase that culminates with the final match in late May or early June. The winner of the Champions League automatically qualifies for the following year's Champions League,
SECTION 20
#17327979463132618-528: A result of this tackle and would return in April, but he recovered in time to play 61 minutes of a 2–1 victory over Marseille on 15 March. Nani was revealed as a contender for the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) Young Player of the Year award alongside teammate Javier Hernández on 8 April. However, many people, including Nani, expressed their surprise he was not nominated for
2737-460: A result, with the quarter-finals and semi-finals being played as single match knockout ties at neutral venues in Lisbon, Portugal in the summer with the final taking place on 23 August 2020. The following is the default access list. Changes will be made to the access list above if the Champions League or Europa League title holders qualify for the tournament via their domestic leagues. Each year,
2856-399: A run down the left flank before crossing for Danny Welbeck to slot home. He then met a Ryan Giggs cross with his head to glance United into a 2–0 lead. He then returned the compliment, squaring for Giggs to put United 3–0 up before half-time. During Manchester United's 2–1 win against Arsenal on 22 January, Nani sustained a foot injury from a tackle by Arsenal defender Laurent Koscielny in
2975-722: A second Portuguese Cup, he was signed by Turkish side Fenerbahçe in 2015, and a year later he signed for Valencia in Spain. He rejoined Sporting in 2018, winning a third Portuguese Cup as well as the Portuguese League Cup for the first time, before moving to Major League Soccer side Orlando City , whom he captained for three seasons before leaving at the end of 2021. In January 2022, he moved to Venezia in Italy. Nani made his Portugal international debut in 2006, scoring his first goal soon after and establishing himself as
3094-412: A shot into the bottom left corner. He scored his second goal in the 56th minute, tapping in from Antonio Valencia 's drilled cross across the six-yard box to extend the lead to 3–1. He was later replaced by winger Ashley Young as the match finished 4–1 to the home side. Nani scored his sixth league goal of the season and provided two assists in a 5–0 away win at Fulham on 21 December. He first advanced on
3213-411: A substitute for Wayne Rooney in the 2008 UEFA Champions League Final as United defeated Chelsea 6–5 on penalties following a 1–1 draw after extra time. Nani took and scored Manchester United's crucial fifth penalty in the shootout. Nani scored his first goal of the 2008–09 season on 23 September 2008, scoring United's third goal in a 3–1 win over Middlesbrough in the last minute to secure passage to
3332-499: A version of the official trophy : Real Madrid, Ajax, Bayern Munich, Milan and Liverpool. Since 2008, the official trophy has remained with UEFA and the clubs are awarded a replica. The current trophy is 74 cm (29 in) tall and made of silver, weighing 11 kg (24 lb). It was designed by Jürg Stadelmann, a jeweller from Bern , Switzerland, after the original was given to Real Madrid in 1966 in recognition of their six titles to date, and cost 10,000 Swiss francs . As of
3451-543: A young age. Nani's older brother taught him how to play football and he played with his childhood friend, midfielder Manuel Fernandes . When Nani was around the age of 14, his older brother took him to train with Real Massamá . They were Nani's first club and gave him money, food, and helped him obtain an ID card and a passport. At the age of 16, Nani was training on alternate days with Sporting CP and Benfica . Nani sometimes walked miles to and from practice before Sporting offered him pre-season training. Despite growing up in
3570-474: Is an annual club association football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by top-division European clubs . The competition begins with a round robin league phase to qualify for the double-legged knockout rounds, and a single-leg final. It is the most-watched club competition in the world and the third most-watched football competition overall, behind only
3689-696: Is of Cape Verdean descent. He was raised by his aunt Antónia on the Santa Filomena estate in Amadora after being abandoned by his parents. At age five, his father left for a holiday in Cape Verde but never returned, and when he was 12 years old, his mother left Portugal to start a new life in the Netherlands . Nani has nine siblings from his mother, of which he is the youngest, and five from his father. Nani gained his nickname from an elder sister at
Nani (footballer) - Misplaced Pages Continue
3808-466: Is played from September to January, while the knockout phase begins in February, with matches predominantly played on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. After the league phase, a two-legged knockout play-off round is played between teams finishing 9–16 (seeded) and 17–24 (unseeded) in the league phase. Teams finishing in the top eight of the league phase receive a bye to the round of 16 as seeded teams, while
3927-399: Is set to the exclamations 'Die Meister! Die Besten! Les Grandes Équipes! The Champions!'. The anthem's chorus is played before each UEFA Champions League game as the two teams are lined up, as well as at the beginning and end of television broadcasts of the matches. In addition to the anthem, there is also entrance music, which contains parts of the anthem itself, which is played as teams enter
4046-413: Is the only club to have won it five times in a row (the first five editions). Only one club has won all of their matches in a single tournament en route to the tournament victory: Bayern Munich in the 2019–20 season. Real Madrid is the current European champion, having beaten Borussia Dortmund 2–0 in the 2024 final for their fifteenth title. The first time the champions of two European leagues met
4165-602: The 1985 European Cup final due to the Heysel Stadium disaster . "Magic...it's magic above all else. When you hear the anthem it captivates you straight away." — Zinedine Zidane The UEFA Champions League anthem, officially titled simply as "Champions League", was written by Tony Britten , and is an adaptation of George Frideric Handel 's 1727 anthem Zadok the Priest (one of his Coronation Anthems ). UEFA commissioned Britten in 1992 to arrange an anthem, and
4284-414: The 2007 European Under-21 Football Championship , he made four appearances, scoring one goal in a 4–0 victory against Israel U21 in a group stage match on 16 June 2007, and had to be taken off during the match after a right ankle injury. Nani made his first appearance for the senior Portuguese team on 1 September 2006, and marked his debut with a goal in Portugal's 4–2 friendly defeat to Denmark . Nani
4403-548: The 2013 final at Wembley , the chorus was played twice. In the 2018 and 2019 finals, held in Kyiv and Madrid respectively, the instrumental version of the chorus was played, by 2Cellos (2018) and Asturia Girls (2019). In the 2023 final , held in Istanbul, Hungarian pianist Ádám György performed the piano version of the anthem. The anthem has been released commercially in its original version on iTunes and Spotify with
4522-453: The 2015 Taça de Portugal final , which earned the club their first trophy since 2008. On 6 July 2015, Nani joined Turkish club Fenerbahçe , signing a three-year deal for a £4.25 million transfer fee. He and his former United teammate Robin van Persie debuted 22 days later in a goalless home draw against Shakhtar Donetsk in the third qualifying round of the season's Champions League , with Nani starting. He scored two goals including
4641-685: The Ernst-Happel-Stadion to win the 1963–64 season and replicate their local-rival's success. The title stayed in Milan for the third year in a row after Inter beat Benfica 1–0 at their home ground, the San Siro . Under the leadership of Jock Stein , Scottish club Celtic beat Inter Milan 2–1 in the 1967 final to become the first British club to win the European Cup. The Celtic players that day, all of whom were born within 30 miles (48 km) of Glasgow, subsequently became known as
4760-482: The European Cup , it was initially a straight knockout tournament open only to the champions of Europe's domestic leagues, with its winner reckoned as the European club champion. The competition took on its current name in 1992, adding a round-robin group stage in 1991 and allowing multiple entrants from certain countries since the 1997–98 season. While only the winners of many of Europe's national leagues can enter
4879-628: The Olympic Stadium in Amsterdam and kept the title for a second consecutive season . Benfica wanted to repeat Real Madrid's successful run of the 1950s after reaching the showpiece event of the 1962–63 European Cup , but a brace from Brazilian-Italian José Altafini at Wembley gave the spoils to Milan, making the trophy leave the Iberian Peninsula for the first time ever. Inter Milan beat an ageing Real Madrid 3–1 at
Nani (footballer) - Misplaced Pages Continue
4998-678: The Portuguese Cup . Before the 2007–08 season, Nani's performances attracted the attention of English club Manchester United , who secured his services in July 2007. He gained first-team status almost immediately and won four Premier League titles, two League Cups , three FA Community Shields , the FIFA Club World Cup and the UEFA Champions League with them. Following a loan back to Sporting, in which he won
5117-639: The UEFA European Championship and the FIFA World Cup . It is one of the most prestigious football tournaments in the world and the most prestigious club competition in European football, played by the national league champions (and, for some nations, one or more runners-up) of their national associations. Introduced in 1955 as the Coupe des Clubs Champions Européens (French for European Champion Clubs' Cup ), and commonly known as
5236-479: The UEFA Super Cup , and the FIFA Club World Cup . Spanish clubs have the most victories (20 wins), followed by England (15 wins) and Italy (12 wins). England has the most winning teams, with six clubs having won the title. The competition has been won by 23 clubs and 13 of them have won it more than once. Real Madrid is the most successful club in the tournament's history, having won it 15 times. Madrid
5355-561: The main award . Following this nomination, he assisted both goals in a 2–0 home win over Fulham on 9 April. Nani lost out to Jack Wilshere for the PFA Young Player of the Year award on 18 April but he was included in the PFA Premier League Team of the Year for the first time. He was awarded for his outstanding season as he was voted Players' Player of the Year at the club's awards night on 18 May. Nani began
5474-454: The new season by putting in a man of the match performance and scoring twice against derby rivals Manchester City in the 2011 Community Shield , including a 94th-minute winner, as United came from two goals down to win 3–2 on 7 August 2011. He scored his first league goal of the 2011–12 season by netting United's fifth goal in an 8–2 victory over Arsenal on 28 August. Nani made his 100th Premier League appearance on 18 September as he scored in
5593-473: The " Lisbon Lions ". The 1967–68 season saw Manchester United become the first English team to win the European Cup, beating two-times winners Benfica 4–1 in the final. This final came ten years after the Munich air disaster , which had claimed the lives of eight United players and left their manager, Matt Busby , fighting for his life. In the 1968–69 season , Ajax became the first Dutch team to reach
5712-468: The 'starball' centre circle ceremony, and hear the same UEFA Champions League Anthem ". Based on research it conducted, TEAM concluded that by 1999, "the starball logo had achieved a recognition rate of 94 percent among fans". The UEFA Champions League used to begin with a double round-robin group stage of 32 teams until it evolved into a league phase of 36 teams, which is preceded by two qualification 'streams' for teams that do not receive direct entry to
5831-486: The 2012–13 season, 40 gold medals are presented to the Champions League winners, and 40 silver medals to the runners-up. Starting with the 2024–25 season, the distribution of the prize money is as follows. A large part of the distributed revenue from the UEFA Champions League is linked to the "market pool", the distribution of which is determined by the value of the television market in each nation. For
5950-424: The 2019–20 season, Paris Saint-Germain , who were the runners-up, earned nearly €126.8 million in total, of which €101.3 million was prize money, compared with the €125.46 million earned by Bayern Munich, who won the tournament and were awarded €112.96 million in prize money. Like the FIFA World Cup , the UEFA Champions League is sponsored by a group of multinational corporations, in contrast to
6069-509: The 3–0 league victory over Fulham . On 26 March, Nani signed a new four-year contract with United, committing himself until 2014. A day later, Nani took his assist tally in the league for the season to nine as he set up two goals in a 0–4 win over Bolton Wanderers at the Reebok Stadium , providing goals for Dimitar Berbatov and Darron Gibson . On 7 April, Nani scored his first ever European goals for United, netting two strikes in
SECTION 50
#17327979463136188-466: The 69th minute against Tottenham Hotspur . Nani also set up crucial goals for Louis Saha and Nemanja Vidić , allowing United to defeat both Sunderland and Everton 1–0, respectively. He returned to face his previous club, Sporting CP, in a Champions League tie in September, though it was teammate and fellow former Sporting player Cristiano Ronaldo who scored the winner in a 0–1 victory. Nani opened
6307-551: The 73rd minute in a 1–0 home defeat to Udinese in their third-round qualifier in the UEFA Champions League . Nani made his Portuguese Liga debut on 28 August, replacing Deivid in the 76th minute of a 1–2 victory over Marítimo at the Estádio dos Barreiros . Nani scored his first Sporting goal on 30 October, opening the scoring in a 2–2 draw away to Boavista . Nani ended the first season of his career with 5 goals from 36 appearances across all competitions. Nani first came into
6426-454: The 75th minute and was replaced by Ashley Young. After a scan on Nani's foot, he was feared to have suffered a metatarsal injury, thus not being able to play for two months. Nani returned to football on 15 April at United's match against Aston Villa as a substitute, replacing Young on the left wing. He scored a goal in stoppage time (93rd minute) with a low shot past Villa goalkeeper Shay Given from Jonny Evans ' through-ball assist, resulting in
6545-410: The European Cup final, but they were beaten 4–1 by Milan, who claimed their second European Cup, with Pierino Prati scoring a hat-trick. The 1969–70 season saw the first Dutch winners of the competition. Feyenoord knocked out the defending champions, Milan in the second round, before beating Celtic in the final . In the 1970–71 season , Ajax won the title, beating Greek side Panathinaikos in
6664-530: The Fourth Round of the League Cup . On 18 October, he scored from a Wayne Rooney assist to complete the 4–0 rout of West Bromwich Albion at Old Trafford . On 20 January 2009, he opened the scoring for United in their 4–2 win at home to Derby County in the second leg of their League Cup semi-final. After Cristiano Ronaldo's transfer to Real Madrid in the 2009 close season, the weight of expectation
6783-506: The Lisbon area, Nani and his brother supported Porto as children. His footballing hero was Luís Figo . Nani joined Sporting CP from his first club, Real Massamá . After two seasons in the youth team, where he won the National Junior Championship in 2004–05, Nani was promoted to the first team early in the 2005–06 season. On 10 August 2005, he made his Sporting CP debut, coming on as a substitute for Custódio in
6902-536: The Premier League that season. UEFA gave special dispensation for Liverpool to enter the Champions League, giving England five qualifiers. UEFA subsequently ruled that the defending champions qualify for the competition the following year regardless of their domestic league placing. However, for those leagues with four entrants in the Champions League, this meant that, if the Champions League winner fell outside of its domestic league's top four, it would qualify at
7021-541: The Week . On 2 August, Nani was named Player of the Week for providing a goal and an assist in a 3–2 victory over Atlanta United two days earlier. On 21 May, the MLS Disciplinary Committee suspended Nani for two games for making physical contact with referee Alex Chilowicz during a match at D.C. United five days earlier on 16 May. On 26 November, Nani announced he was leaving Orlando City following
7140-413: The biggest domestic leagues qualified directly for the tournament group stage. Prior to this, three preliminary knockout qualifying rounds whittled down the remaining teams, with teams starting in different rounds. An exception to the usual European qualification system happened in 2005, after Liverpool won the Champions League the year before, but did not finish in a Champions League qualification place in
7259-508: The chest and the left sleeve. Exceptions are made for non-profit organisations, which can feature on the front of the shirt, incorporated with the main sponsor or in place of it; or on the back, either below the squad number or on the collar area. If a club plays a match in a nation where the relevant sponsorship category is restricted (such as France's alcohol advertising restriction), then they must remove that logo from their jerseys. For example, when Rangers played French side Auxerre in
SECTION 60
#17327979463137378-453: The competition, the top 5 leagues by coefficient provide four teams each by default, with a possibility for additional spots based on performance during the previous season. Clubs that finish below the qualifying spots are eligible for the second-tier UEFA Europa League competition, and since 2021, for the third-tier UEFA Conference League . In its present format, the Champions League begins in early July with three qualifying rounds and
7497-494: The course of the campaign – a contrast to his previous year in Turkey, where he played 64 games for club and country. On 31 August 2017, Lazio announced the signing of Nani on a season-long loan deal. He scored his first goal for Lazio on 29 October, the final goal of a 5–1 away victory over Benevento . On 11 July 2018, Sporting CP announced that Nani would be rejoining the club. He scored twice in his second game on 18 August,
7616-625: The creation of a continent-wide tournament. In interviews, Jacques Ferran (one of the founders of the European Champions Cup, together with Gabriel Hanot), said that the South American Championship of Champions was the inspiration for the European Champions Cup. After Stan Cullis declared Wolverhampton Wanderers "Champions of the World" following a successful run of friendlies in the 1950s, in particular
7735-469: The eight winning teams from the knockout play-off round will enter the round of 16 draw as unseeded teams. Teams finishing 25th–36th place in the league phase and the eight losers of the knockout play-offs are eliminated from the competition and from European football since it is no longer possible to enter the Europa League from the league phase onwards. After the round of 16 the competition follows
7854-796: The exercise of any functions, both in the public and the private sphere, which reveal self-sacrifice in favor of the community. The decorations are given by the President of the Portuguese Republic , in his role as the Grand-Master of the Portuguese Honorific Orders. The Order of Merit can be awarded, during life or posthumously, to both Portuguese and foreign citizens; it can also be awarded to localities or institutions that are legal persons governed by public law or of public utility. This order has been awarded to
7973-429: The expense of the fourth-placed team in the league. Until 2015–16, no association could have more than four entrants in the Champions League. In May 2012, Tottenham Hotspur finished fourth in the 2011–12 Premier League , two places ahead of Chelsea, but failed to qualify for the 2012–13 Champions League , after Chelsea won the 2012 final . Tottenham were demoted to the 2012–13 UEFA Europa League . In May 2013, it
8092-409: The expiration of his contract. On 14 January 2022, he signed a contract with Italian Serie A club Venezia until the end of the 2022–23 season. The contract was terminated by mutual consent on 8 July 2022. On 12 July 2022, Nani signed a two-year contract with A-League Men club Melbourne Victory . Three days later, he made his unofficial debut for his new team, coming on as a late substitute in
8211-544: The field. The complete anthem is about three minutes long, and has two short verses and the chorus. Special vocal versions have been performed live at the Champions League final with lyrics in other languages, changing over to the host nation's language for the chorus. These versions were performed by Andrea Bocelli (Italian; Rome 2009 , Milan 2016 and Cardiff 2017 ), Juan Diego Flores (Spanish; Madrid 2010 ), All Angels ( Wembley 2011 ), Jonas Kaufmann and David Garrett ( Munich 2012 ) and Mariza ( Lisbon 2014 ). In
8330-464: The final. Since 2021, the UEFA also used Virtual Board Replacement (VBR) technology to offer region-based advertising; regional sponsors are inserted into the hoardings as shown on the broadcast feed in specific regions along with the global sponsors. Individual clubs may wear jerseys with advertising. However, only two sponsorships are permitted per jersey in addition to that of the kit manufacturer, at
8449-790: The final. the season saw a number of changes, with penalty shoot-outs being introduced, and the away goals rule being changed so that it would be used in all rounds except the final. It was also the first time a Greek team reached the final, as well as the first season that Real Madrid failed to qualify, having finished sixth in La Liga the previous season. Ajax went on to win the competition three years in row (1971 to 1973), which Bayern Munich emulated from 1974 to 1976, before Liverpool won their first two titles in 1977 and 1978. The following seasons saw victories in 1978–79 and 1979–80 for Brian Clough's Nottingham Forest . The following year Liverpool won their third title before Aston Villa continued
8568-408: The first teams to reach the Champions League group stage after playing in all three qualifying rounds. Real Madrid and Barcelona hold the record for the most appearances in the group stage, having qualified 25 times, followed by Porto and Bayern Munich on 24. Between 1999 and 2008, no differentiation was made between champions and non-champions in qualification. The 16 top-ranked teams spread across
8687-403: The fourth-placed teams were eliminated from the competition. For the next stage – the last 16 – the winning team from one group played against the runners-up from another group, but teams from the same association could not be drawn against each other (see random two-sided matching ). From the quarter-finals onwards, the draw was entirely random, without association protection. The group stage
8806-475: The game ended in a 2–2 draw, with Nani registering an assist on Dom Dwyer 's equaliser. He scored his first goals for the team on 6 April 2019, when he netted twice in Orlando's 4–3 home win over Colorado Rapids , including the game–winning penalty in the 89th minute. On 31 July 2020, he missed a penalty in regulation time against Los Angeles FC in the quarter-finals of the MLS is Back Tournament but later assisted
8925-537: The goals in the 2–1 away win over Belgium on 2 June 2007. Nani received a call-up to Luiz Felipe Scolari 's 23-man squad for Euro 2008 alongside Manchester United teammate Cristiano Ronaldo. During the campaign, Nani played three matches and started just one, but did provide the assist for Hélder Postiga 's goal during a substitute appearance in the 3–2 quarter-final defeat to Germany on 19 June. Nani's fourth international goal came in Portugal's final friendly match before their World Cup qualifying campaign started,
9044-489: The group stage in favour of an expanded league phase. The number of participating teams was increased from 32 to 36 teams. Teams are no longer divided into groups of four teams each but are ranked in a single table. Each team plays eight matches against eight different opponents. For the draw of the league phase, teams are divided into four seeding pots according to their UEFA coefficient . Each team will play against two teams from each pot, one home and one away. The league phase
9163-468: The instruction in the country. In 1929, the Order of Instruction and Benefaction was split in two different orders, the Order of Benefaction and the Order of Public Instruction , with the former now solely awarding acts related to social causes, public assistance and goodwill. In 1976, the order was renamed to its current title. UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL )
9282-446: The last-minute equalizer and scored the winning penalty during an extra-time shootout . In the semi-finals against Minnesota United , Nani scored two first-half goals to help his team reach the final with a 3–1 win. However, Orlando City eventually finished runners-up in the tournament, losing to Portland Timbers in the final. On 6 May 2021, Nani's goal against FC Cincinnati in a 3–0 victory five days earlier saw him awarded Goal of
9401-427: The league 11 points ahead of second place, to give Nani his fourth Premier League winner's medal. His most memorable appearance in the season came in the second leg of United's UEFA Champions League round of 16 tie with Real Madrid. With Manchester United leading 1—0, Nani was sent off in the 56th minute for a high boot on Álvaro Arbeloa ; Real Madrid took advantage of their numerical superiority and scored twice to win
9520-435: The left post. Nani started the match against Manchester City where they fell victim to a 1–6 beating at home to their neighbours. On 1 November, Nani was shortlisted for the prestigious FIFA Ballon d'Or . On 10 December, the first match after United's elimination from the UEFA Champions League , Nani scored a brace in a home match against Wolverhampton Wanderers. He opened the scoring in the 17th minute to put them 1–0 up with
9639-426: The match 2–1, and the tie 3–2 on aggregate. On 5 September 2013, Nani renewed his contract with Manchester United, which was to keep him at the club until 2018. He started his first match of 2013–14 season against Liverpool in the League Cup . Despite this, Nani spent most of the season struggling against injury and trying to find form. He scored only once during the season. On 19 August 2014, Sporting CP announced
9758-448: The match against Birmingham City on 16 August. Although he provided the assist for Wayne Rooney's winning goal in the 34th minute, Nani was replaced by Ryan Giggs at half-time. On 22 August, Nani scored his first league goal of the 2009–10 season , a free-kick against Wigan Athletic in a 0–5 away win. Following several poor performances, Nani criticised Sir Alex Ferguson for his lack of confidence in him. Despite this outburst, Nani
9877-521: The piece was performed by London's Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and sung by the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields . Stating that "the anthem is now almost as iconic as the trophy", UEFA's official website adds it is "known to set the hearts of many of the world's top footballers aflutter". The chorus contains the three official languages used by UEFA: English, German, and French. The climactic moment
9996-492: The play-off against Bosnia and Herzegovina , setting up Bruno Alves for the only goal in the first leg. Raul Meireles ' goal in the second-leg sealed Portugal's place at the World Cup in South Africa. Order of Merit (Portugal) The Order of Merit ( Portuguese : Ordem do Mérito ) is a Portuguese Honorific Order of civil merit intended to award those responsible for meritorious acts or services performed in
10115-562: The previous five Champions League, Europa League and Conference League seasons. The higher an association's coefficient, the more teams represent the association in the Champions League, and the fewer qualification rounds the association's teams must compete in. Five of the remaining seven qualifying places are granted to the winners of a four-round qualifying tournament between the remaining 43 or 44 national champions, within which those champions from associations with higher coefficients receive byes to later rounds. The other two are granted to
10234-483: The return of Nani to the club on a season-long loan from Manchester United, as part of a deal that brought centre-back Marcos Rojo to United. Nani was given the number 77 shirt. Nani made his comeback at the Estádio José Alvalade in a Primeira Liga match against Arouca , four days after signing. He missed a penalty, received a yellow card and was substituted in the 77th minute as the match ended in
10353-531: The scoring in a 4–1 home victory over Middlesbrough on 27 October. On 16 February 2008, Nani put in a man of the match performance against Arsenal in the FA Cup Fourth Round, his goal and two assists helping United to a 4–0 win over their rivals. During the match, Nani was involved in an altercation with Arsenal captain William Gallas . After the match, Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger
10472-439: The season and assisted Dimitar Berbatov in a Man of the Match display. Nani scored and assisted Michael Owen in a 2–2 away draw away to Bolton Wanderers on 26 September. On 16 October, Nani scored United's second in a 2–2 home draw against West Bromwich Albion. Four days later, Nani scored his first Champions League goal of the season, scoring the solitary strike in a 1–0 home victory over Bursaspor . On 30 October, Nani scored
10591-530: The sense of English dominance in 1982 . In 1982–83, Hamburger SV broke the English dominance. Liverpool regained it in 1983–84 before losing to Juventus (1984–85); Steaua București then won in 1985–86, Porto in 1986–87, PSV Eindhoven in 1987–88; Milan (2), Red Star Belgrade and Barcelona became champions before the competition was re-formulated as the UEFA Champions League . All English clubs were banned for five years (Liverpool for six years) following
10710-431: The single main sponsor typically found in national top-flight leagues. When the Champions League was created in 1992, it was decided that a maximum of eight companies should be allowed to sponsor the event, with each corporation being allocated four advertising boards around the perimeter of the pitch, as well as logo placement at pre- and post-match interviews and a certain number of tickets to each match. This, combined with
10829-623: The spotlight after scoring in the UEFA Champions League against Spartak Moscow , scoring Sporting's goal in a 1–1 group stage match on 27 September 2006. Nani helped Sporting win the 2006–07 Taça de Portugal , lifting the trophy after a 1–0 win over Belenenses on 27 May 2007 in the final . He was then named as the SJPF Young Player of the Month for May 2007 . Nani's second season with Sporting ended with similar league statistics, with 40 appearances and 6 goals in all competitions. Nani
10948-494: The third in a 6–0 win. He also scored in the following match against Guangzhou Pharmaceutical with a chip off the right post from the left side of the penalty area in a 3–0 win. On 5 August 2007, Nani made his competitive debut for United, coming on as a substitute in the Community Shield against Chelsea . He marked his debut with a trophy after they won 3–0 on penalties , following a 1–1 draw during normal time. This
11067-578: The time, participated in the Coupe Van der Straeten Ponthoz , thus being dubbed as the "club championship of the continent" by the local newspapers. The Mitropa Cup , a competition modelled after the Challenge Cup, was created in 1927, an idea of Austrian Hugo Meisl , and played between Central European clubs. In 1930, the Coupe des Nations (French: Nations Cup ), the first attempt to create
11186-590: The title for the third consecutive season. In a rematch of the first final, Real Madrid faced Stade Reims at the Neckarstadion for the 1959 final , and won 2–0. West German side Eintracht Frankfurt became the first team not to compete in the Latin cup to reach the European Cup final. The 1960 final holds the record for the most goals scored, with Real Madrid beating Eintracht Frankfurt 7–3 at Hampden Park , courtesy of four goals by Ferenc Puskás and
11305-415: The title of Champions League Theme. In 2018, composer Hans Zimmer remixed the anthem with rapper Vince Staples for EA Sports ' video game FIFA 19 , with it also featuring in the game's reveal trailer. In 1991, UEFA asked its commercial partner, Television Event and Media Marketing (TEAM), to help brand the Champions League. This resulted in the anthem, "house colours" of black and white or silver and
11424-502: The tournament proper. The two streams are divided between teams qualified by virtue of being league champions, and those qualified by virtue of finishing second, third or fourth in their national championship. The number of teams that each association enters into the UEFA Champions League is based upon the UEFA coefficients of the member associations. These coefficients are generated by the results of clubs representing each association during
11543-415: The traditional knockout format with quarter-finals, semi-finals (both two legged and without association draw protection) and then the final at a venue chosen prior to the season. The final is typically held in late May or early June. Prior to the 2024–25 season, the tournament proper began with a group stage of 32 teams, divided into eight groups of four. The draw to determine which teams entered each group
11662-493: The transfer. Nani was suspended for Valencia's season opener against Las Palmas as he had not served his suspension from his last game for Fenerbahçe. He debuted on 27 August in the next game, a 1–0 loss at Eibar . On 25 September, in his 500th game as a professional, he opened his Valencia account with his 100th goal to conclude a 2–1 win at Leganés . In his one season at the Mestalla , he suffered four muscular injuries over
11781-572: The trophy next season in their home stadium, the Santiago Bernabéu , against Fiorentina . After a scoreless first half, Real Madrid scored twice in six minutes to defeat the Italians. In 1958 , Milan failed to capitalise after going ahead on the scoreline twice, only for Real Madrid to equalise. The final, held in Heysel Stadium , went to extra time where Francisco Gento scored the game-winning goal to allow Real Madrid to retain
11900-466: The winner, a free-kick in second-half stoppage time, against Antalyaspor on 30 August. On 26 May 2016, Nani was sent off in the Turkish Cup final for sarcastically applauding the referee following a 1–0 loss to rivals Galatasaray . In July 2016, Nani signed for Spanish club Valencia on a three-year contract, with Valencia paying an undisclosed fee – reported at £7.2 million – to complete
12019-514: The winners of a three-round qualifying tournament between ten and eleven clubs from the associations ranked 5–6 through 15, which have qualified based upon finishing second, third or fourth in their respective national league. In addition to sporting criteria, any club must be licensed by its national association to participate in the Champions League. To obtain a license, the club must meet certain stadium, infrastructure and finance requirements. In 2005–06 , Liverpool and Artmedia Bratislava became
12138-494: The winning strike in a 2–1 home victory over Stoke City on 4 January. On 22 January, Nani scored the final goal of a 5–0 home victory over Birmingham City. Nani scored United's only goal in their first league loss of the season, a 2–1 defeat at Wolverhampton Wanderers on 5 February. Seven days later Nani scored his first Manchester derby goal, opening the scoring in a 2–1 home victory over Manchester City. On 6 March, during United's 3–1 loss against Liverpool at Anfield , Nani
12257-424: The winning team is presented with the European Champion Clubs' Cup, the current version of which has been awarded since 1967. From the 1968–69 season and prior to the 2008–09 season any team that won the Champions League three years in a row or five times overall was awarded the official trophy permanently. Each time a club achieved this, a new official trophy had to be forged for the following season. Five clubs own
12376-406: Was seeded based on each team's UEFA coefficient , and no group could contain more than one club from each association. Each team played six group stage games, meeting the other three teams in its group home and away in a round-robin format. The first place team and the runners-up from each group then progressed to the next round. The third-placed teams entered the Europa League's knockout round and
12495-438: Was decided that, starting from the 2015–16 season (and continuing at least for the three-year cycle until the 2017–18 season ), the winners of the previous season's UEFA Europa League would qualify for the UEFA Champions League, entering at least the play-off round, and entering the group stage if the berth reserved for the Champions League title holders was not used. The previous limit of a maximum of four teams per association
12614-474: Was equally displeased, while Gilberto Silva said Nani had a "big head". On 23 March, Nani set up the second and scored the final goal in a 3–0 victory over rivals Liverpool , in the 79th and 81st minutes respectively, after coming onto the pitch as a substitute. On 3 May, towards the end of a 4–1 home win over West Ham United , Nani was sent off for the first time in his United career for a headbutt on West Ham defender Lucas Neill . On 21 May, Nani came on as
12733-459: Was followed up by Nani's third goal for the club three days later, when he scored against Glentoran in another 3–0 pre-season win. Nani's Premier League debut came in United's opening match at home to Reading on 12 August as a substitute for Wayne Rooney , who had suffered a foot injury. Two weeks later, on 26 August, Nani scored his first competitive goal for United, netting a 30-yard goal in
12852-438: Was given a chance to shine and provided an assist for Rooney in the 4–0 league win over Hull City . Soon after this positive display, he put in another good performance in their League Cup semi-final victory over derby rivals Manchester City , revealing a heart-to-heart with Ferguson had resulted in a better display of form. On 31 January 2010, Nani scored the first goal and set up Rooney's 100th career Premier League strike in
12971-448: Was his best." – Sir Alex Ferguson praises Nani after his performance in the 3–1 victory over Arsenal on 31 January 2010. However, just four days later, he was sent off for a lunge at Stiliyan Petrov against Aston Villa , which resulted in a three-match ban and ruled him out of the League Cup final . On 10 March, Nani set up Rooney's second in a 4–0 win over Milan , before providing another assist for Rooney four days later, in
13090-554: Was in what was nicknamed the 1895 World Championship , when English champions Sunderland beat Scottish champions Heart of Midlothian 5–3. The first pan-European tournament was the Challenge Cup , a competition between clubs in the Austro-Hungarian Empire . Three years later, in 1900, the champions of Belgium , Netherlands and Switzerland , which were the only existing leagues in continental Europe at
13209-482: Was increased to five, meaning that a fourth-placed team from one of the top three ranked associations would only have to be moved to the Europa League if both the Champions League and Europa League winners came from that association and both finished outside the top four of their domestic league. In 2007, Michel Platini , the UEFA president, had proposed taking one place from the three leagues with four entrants and allocating it to that nation's cup winners. This proposal
13328-413: Was injured following a challenge from Jamie Carragher just before half-time. Nani shed tears after the challenge and was subsequently taken off the pitch in a stretcher. Following post-match comments to the press from Manchester United, it was believed Nani had suffered a broken leg. However, this was not the case as he started training the following week. It was thought Nani would miss up to three weeks as
13447-531: Was omitted from Portugal's 1–1 draw with Armenia , but was recalled for Euro 2008 qualifiers against Poland and Serbia in September. He also provided the assist for Ricardo Quaresma 's goal in a friendly against Italy on 6 February 2008. Nani was ruled out of Portugal's friendly with Greece in March 2008 due to injury. Nani was a regular member of the Portugal squad in Euro 2008 qualification , and scored one of
13566-513: Was on Nani to step up from bit part player and replace his compatriot. Nani's first contribution to United's new season was opening the scoring in the tenth minute of the 2009 FA Community Shield , but United eventually lost the match on penalties after a 2–2 draw. Nani suffered a dislocated shoulder during the match, which was originally expected to keep him out of the start of the season. He recovered in time to play 17 minutes for Portugal against Liechtenstein on 12 August, however, and started
13685-483: Was part of Platini's plan to increase the number of teams qualifying directly into the group stage, while simultaneously increasing the number of teams from lower-ranked nations in the group stage. In 2012, Arsène Wenger referred to qualifying for the Champions League by finishing in the top four places in the Premier League as the "4th Place Trophy". The phrase was coined after a pre-match conference when he
13804-461: Was played from September to December, whilst the knockout stage began in February, with matches usually played on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. The knockout ties were played in a two-legged format, with the exception of the final. In the 2019–20 season , due to the COVID-19 pandemic the tournament was suspended for five months. The format of the remainder of the tournament was temporarily amended as
13923-482: Was questioned about Arsenal's lack of a trophy after exiting the FA Cup . He said "The first trophy is to finish in the top four". At Arsenal's 2012 AGM, Wenger was also quoted as saying: "For me there are five trophies every season: Premier League, Champions League, the third is to qualify for the Champions League..." Beginning with the 2024–25 season, UEFA changed the format of their three club competitions, abandoning
14042-469: Was rejected in a vote at a UEFA Strategy Council meeting. In the same meeting, however, it was agreed that the third-placed team in the top three leagues would receive automatic qualification for the group stage, rather than entry into the third qualifying round, while the fourth-placed team would enter the play-off round for non-champions, guaranteeing an opponent from one of the top 15 leagues in Europe. This
14161-415: Was sold to Manchester United for €25.5 million, five percent of which was paid to Real Massamá, his first professional club. He passed his medical on 6 June 2007, and signed a five-year contract one month later, joining Portuguese compatriot Cristiano Ronaldo , with whom he lived at the start of his Manchester United career. Nani scored on his debut in a pre-season friendly against Shenzhen , scoring
#312687