[Official] Nani Announces Retirement From Professional Football At 38

Former Manchester United and Lazio star Luis Nani has officially announced his retirement from professional football at the age of 38.

"I have decided to end my career as a professional player. As people say, I am hanging up my boots," Nani shared on his official Instagram account, @luisnani.

The Portuguese winger, who represented his national team from 2006 to 2017, began his professional journey in 2005. Over the years, he played for 10 clubs, making 455 appearances and scoring 97 goals at the club level. On the international stage, he netted 24 goals in 112 matches for Portugal.

Nani began his career at Sporting CP’s youth academy and made his professional debut in the Portuguese League in August 2005. In 2007, he made a high-profile move to Manchester United, the club he represented the longest during his career. Between 2007 and 2015, Nani helped United secure 12 major trophies, including four Premier League titles, one UEFA Champions League, and a FIFA Club World Cup. During this period, he also spent the 2014 season on loan back at Sporting CP.

In 2015, Nani joined Turkish side Fenerbahce but stayed for just one season before moving to Valencia in Spain. After an underwhelming stint there, he was loaned to Lazio for the 2017-2018 season, where he made 25 appearances, contributing 3 goals and 2 assists across all competitions.

Following his time in Serie A, Nani returned to Sporting CP before embarking on a global journey, playing for Orlando City in MLS (2019-2021), Venezia in Italy (2022), Melbourne Victory in Australia (2022-2023), and Adana Demirspor in Turkey (2023-2024). He concluded his career at Portuguese club CF Estrela Amadora. Notably, Nani was part of Portugal's historic Euro 2016 triumph.

Across his career, Nani collected 17 trophies at the club and national levels and earned eight individual awards. Reflecting on his journey, Nani expressed his desire to focus on family and contribute to nurturing young talent through the Nani Football Academy in Portugal, which began accepting students in August 2024.

"Football has given me everything. Now, it's time to give back. I want to help develop young players at the academy. This is a great opportunity to do so," Nani said, outlining his next chapter off the pitch.