‘Whenever Ronaldo and I cross paths in Portugal, it’s always a good excuse to meet again, have a laugh and relive the moments we shared’ Nani details his relationship with his former club and country team-mate

FFT388.yatq.gettyimages_87431510 — Nani and Ronaldo played together for club and country (Image credit: Manchester United via Getty Imag)

Nani and Cristiano Ronaldo shared a pitch 131 times as professionals during their respective careers, sharing some of the biggest stages in world football.

Whether it was training together in Lisbon, lighting up Old Trafford, winning the Champions League in Moscow or hoisting up the European Championship in Paris, the pair have achieved almost all there is to achieve in the game.

Nani on his relationship with Ronaldo

Nani and Ronaldo shared a pitch 131 times for Portugal and Manchester United

“Since he moved to Saudi Arabia, we’re in contact less than we were before,” Nani tells FourFourTwo when asked about his relationship with his former team-mate.

“But whenever we cross paths in Portugal, it’s always a good excuse to meet again, have a laugh and relive the moments we shared.”

Nani would announce his retirement from professional football in December 2024, at a time when Ronaldo was still going strong at Al-Nassr and when FourFourTwo spoke to the 39-year-old at the end of 2025, he was not jealous to see his old pal still playing - despite Ronaldo being two years his senior.

“Not at all – I could still be playing too, but I retired by choice,” Nani told us. “Knowing when to finally step away is important and I was able to make that decision consciously. To play and compete, I needed to feel joy, and the passion wasn’t the same any more. I was also ready for the next step.”

That passion has clearly returned, as following his interview, Nani came out of retirement to sign for Kazakhstan Premier League side Aktobe last month.

Before this, Nani had returned to his homeland, where he had thrown his efforts into helping the next generation of Portuguese stars.

“I’ve launched a football academy in Lisbon, which excites me and keeps me busy,” he continues. “I spend a lot of my time there, sharing my experience with the next generation and helping them develop the right mentality and values, both on and off the pitch.

FFT388.yatq.gettyimages_1432371901 — Nani came out of retirement last month (Image credit: Getty Images)

“I want to dedicate my energy to the future of kids who dream of having a career like mine. I’m also an ambassador for Manchester United and I’ll be playing in legends games too.

“Right now though, my main focus is the academy – that’s where my heart is.”

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For more than a decade, Joe Mewis has worked in football journalism as a reporter and editor. Mewis has had stints at Mirror Football and LeedsLive among others and worked at FourFourTwo throughout Euro 2024, reporting on the tournament. In addition to his journalist work, Mewis is also the author of four football history books that include times on Leeds United and the England national team. Now working as a digital marketing coordinator at Harrogate Town, too, Mewis counts some of his best career moments as being in the iconic Spygate press conference under Marcelo Bielsa and seeing his beloved Leeds lift the Championship trophy during lockdown.

With contributions from

Dani Gil

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