Sporting CP Nani joined Sporting CP from his first club,
Real Massamá. On 10 August 2005, he made his Sporting CP debut, coming on as a substitute for
Custódio in 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, 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, Nani's second season with Sporting ended with similar league statistics, with 40 appearances and 6 goals in all competitions.
Manchester United Early years Nani 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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.
Breakthrough After Cristiano Ronaldo's transfer to
Real Madrid in the 2009 close season, the weight of expectation 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 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. in 2008 Following several poor performances, Nani criticised
Sir Alex Ferguson for his lack of confidence in him. Despite this outburst, Nani 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 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. {{Quote box 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 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 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 a 0–1 away victory over Sunderland. Nani's third season with Manchester United ended with 34 appearances and seven goals in all competitions.
2010–11 season in a 2–2 draw on 16 October 2010 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 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 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 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 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 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 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.
2011–12 season Nani began 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 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 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 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 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 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 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.
2012–13 season 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 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 the match 2–1, and the tie 3–2 on aggregate.
2013–14 season 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.
Loan return to Sporting CP On 19 August 2014, Sporting CP announced 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 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 the
2015 Taça de Portugal final, which earned the club their first trophy since 2008.
Fenerbahçe in 2015 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 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.
Valencia 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 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 the course of the campaign – a contrast to his previous year in Turkey, where he played 64 games for club and country.
Loan to Lazio 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.
Return to Sporting CP On 11 July 2018,
Sporting CP announced that Nani would be rejoining the club. He scored twice in his second game on 18 August, 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.
Orlando City 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. 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 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 the expiration of his contract.
Venezia 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.
Melbourne Victory 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 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.
Adana Demirspor On 13 July 2023,
Süper Lig club
Adana Demirspor announced the signing of Nani on 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.
Estrela Amadora On 8 December 2024, after playing for
Estrela Amadora, Nani announced his retirement from professional football. On 14 September 2025, Nani made a guest appearance in Russia’s
Media League Cup, playing for media club
Alfa-Banka against
Amkal and scoring from the penalty spot in a 3–1 defeat.
Aktobe In January 2026, Nani came out of retirement to sign for
Kazakhstan Premier League side
Aktobe. Nani made his
Kazakhstan Premier League debut on March 7, 2026, coming off the bench in the 71st minute against
FC Tobol. It took the Portuguese winger just three minutes to provide an assist for
Ivan Ordets, helping his team,
Aktobe, cruise to a resounding 4-1 victory. Nani scored his first brace in Kazakhstan on April 30, 2026, in a
2026 Kazakhstan Cup match between
Aktobe and
FC Yelimay. His goals helped his team advance to the quarterfinals of the
2026 Kazakhstan Cup. ==International career==