Nani out to repay Bento

KHARKOV, UKRAINE – JUNE 17: Nani of Portugal looks on ahead of the UEFA EURO 2012 group B match between Portugal and Netherlands at Metalist Stadium on June 17, 2012 in Kharkov, Ukraine. (Photo by Ian Walton/Getty Images)

Portugal winger Luis Nani has admitted that he will try his best to repay coach Paulo Bento when his side will take on Spain in the semifinal of the Euro 2012.

The 25-year-old Manchester United player has been with Bento since his time at Sporting Lisbon and revealed that it was Bento who saved him from a life of crime as a child growing up in Lisbon’s notorious Amadora district.

“He is one of the main reasons I am where I am because he opened doors and my eyes and made me see what I was doing was wrong many times. He made me realise if I wanted to be here, as I am today, I need to change certain things. He believed in me.

“It was difficult to live there, always problems with the shootings. There was violence. There was a big gang of us, close friends, who used to go around together when we were young. Now some of the guys are in prison. Football was the only way to get out.”

Meanwhile, Nani’s contract situation at Manchester United remains a topic of speculation and the winger is being tipped to force a move to Juventus, with United already having shortlisted FC Porto’s James Rodriguez as a possible replacement. Nani has a contract till the summer of 2014 and all attempts to make him sign an extension have been in vain.