BIOGRAPHY
Luís Carlos Almeida da Cunha Com was born on November 17, 1986, in Amadora, Portugal. He is a midfielder in the MLS.
He began his football career playing for local side Real Massamá. At the age of nine, he began training with Sporting CP and S.L. Benfica on alternate days, eventually joining Sporting's youth squad after they offered him pre-season training.
Nani made his professional debut with the club in 2005 and won the Taça de Portugal during his second season with them. Nani was named the SJPF Young Player of the Month for May 2007 and his performances with Sporting culminated into a move to English club Manchester United in July 2007 for a fee of €25 million.
Nani won the Community Shield on his competitive debut at Manchester United and added a number of trophies, including the Premier League and Champions League during his debut season at the club. He established himself as first-choice winger at United and won a further three Premier League titles, the Football League Cup, one FIFA Club World Cup, and three Community Shield titles. Individually, Nani was included in the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) Premier League Team of the Year on one occasion and was a nominee for the PFA Young Player of the Year in 2011. Following a loan back to Sporting, in which he won the Taça de Portugal, he was signed for £4.25 million by Fenerbahçe in July 2015, and a year later he signed for Valencia. He rejoined Sporting CP in July 2018.
Nani is also a Portugal international. After first playing at under-21 level, he made his debut for the senior Portugal team in September 2006 in a friendly match against Denmark and scored his first goal during the 4–2 defeat in Copenhagen. Nani has represented his country at four major tournaments, including three European Championships: he took part at the 2008, 2012 and 2016 European Championships, reaching the semi-finals of Euro 2012, and winning Euro 2016; he also participated at the 2014 FIFA World Cup with Portugal. Since his debut, he has made over 100 international appearances and scored 24 goals.
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; 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 the last-minute equalizer and scored the winning penalty during an extra-time shootout. Orlando City eventually finished runners-up in the tournament, losing to Portland Timbers in the final.
