"Never seen a player hit the ball as clean" - Ferdinand names ex-Manchester United star with 'sheer power' like Cristiano Ronaldo but no consistency

Former Manchester United centre-back Rio Ferdinand claimed that Portuguese winger Luis Nani was one of the cleanest strikers of the ball he had ever seen. He said it in a conversation with EURO 2016 winner Jose Fonte on a recent episode of Legends Lounge on his Rio Ferdinand Presents FIVE YouTube channel.

Nani emerged onto the scene at Cristiano Ronaldo's boyhood club, Sporting CP, in the 2005-06 season. Understandably, his skillful dribbling and blistering pace earned him comparisons to the Portuguese legend, who was a Red Devil at the time.

He followed in Ronaldo's footsteps, making the move to Manchester United prior to the 2007-08 campaign. He spent eight seasons at the club, racking up 41 goals and 70 assists in 230 games across all competitions.

While Ferdinand praised Nani's lethal ball-striking and claimed that he wasn't ill-disciplined, he lamented the forward's poor offensive consistency. The 45-year-old said:

"I've never seen a player hit the ball as clean with both feet as powerful and as hard as Nani. [His] sheer power was mad. The thing that I think Nani lacked, he was a good professional, he didn't drink a lot, but there was something that stopped him from having ultimate consistency."

"He could hit five shots and two could be on target, two could be way off it or two may go close. It was hard for him to find that consistency compared to [Wayne] Rooney or Ronaldo, that's what set him [behind]. Pure ability wise, I’d take that and give someone else’s mindset [to Nani]," Ferdinand concluded.

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"He should have had a little bit more focus" - Jose Fonte claims that former Manchester United forward Nani had incredible potential

Former Portuguese defender Jose Fonte claimed that former Manchester United attacker and his compatriot Nani had unbelievable potential. However, he noted that the winger didn't have to focus and determination to reach it.

Fonte and Nani made 20 appearances together for Portugal between 2014 and 2017. They were members of the squad that won their nation's first-ever major trophy, EURO 2016.

Speaking to former Manchester United centre-back Rio Ferdinand in an episode of Legends Lounge on the FIVE YouTube channel, the 40-year-old said:

"Physically, Nani was unreal. If only he had just a little bit more focus. I'm not saying that he wasn't focused because to be at this level, he needs to have some kind of drive and focus. But, his potential was very, very high. Although he had an amazing career, a fantastic career, he could have been something even more special. Right foot, left foot, pace, dribbling, power, [he had everything]."

Nani is currently without a club, having parted ways with Adana Demirspor in May 2024.