“Felt a little bit in his shadow” - Michael Owen names former Manchester United star who was under appreciated due to Cristiano Ronaldo
Michael Owen recently heaped praise on former Manchester United forward Nani and said that he might've felt being under Cristiano Ronaldo's shadow a the club.
Nani joined the Red Devils from Sporting CP in 2007 and spent eight years at the club, winning numerous trophies. He made 230 appearances for United, scoring 41 goals and providing 71 assists.
The Portuguese was an excellent winger but he joined the English giants when his compatriot Cristiano Ronaldo was arguably at his peak for the club. Ronaldo left Manchester United in 2009 to join Real Madrid, the same year when Michael Owen arrived at Old Trafford from Newcastle United.
Owen was very impressed with Nani during their time together at United, as he recently told Daily Star (via Manchester Evening News):
“There's loads of players that were absolutely so talented and then probably didn't ever (reach their potential). And there were lots of players you think might be a bit of a journeyman, and all of a sudden they reach the absolute top because they're just like mentally monsters.
“And you know of players that were exceptionally talented and probably could have done even more. Someone like Nani at Manchester United, you talk to players and he came hot on the heels of Cristiano Ronaldo – possibly felt a little bit in his shadow. But the ability of that kid…"
Owen also pointed out how injuries led to a drop in Nani's consistency, saying:
“He would go and get man of the match three or four weeks on the spin, and then he'd have a little knock or something would go against him and his confidence could be shot and you wouldn't see him for a couple of months type of thing. But he had just tons of ability.”
Owen shared the pitch 25 times with Nani, combining for four goals. After Manchester United, Owen played for Stoke City before retiring in 2013. Meanwhile, Nani currently plies his trade for Turkish side Adana Demirspor.
Taking a look at Cristiano Ronaldo's numbers at Manchester United
Cristiano Ronaldo arrived at Old Trafford from Sporting CP in 2003 after he impressed manager Sir Alex Ferguson during a friendly against Manchester United. He took some time to get into the starting XI of the team but became pivotal soon.
Ronaldo scored 118 goals and provided 63 assists in 292 games for the Red Devils under Sir Alex Ferguson. He helped them win three Premier League titles, one UEFA Champions League trophy, and one FA Cup, among other honors.
The Portuguese forward also won the first of his five Ballons d'Or for his exploits with Manchester United in 2009.
Cristiano Ronaldo then played for Real Madrid and Juventus before returning to United in 2021. He scored 27 goals and provided five assists in 55 games across competitions before leaving in November 2022.
He eventually joined Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr and has been prolific for them, registering 38 goals and 13 assists in 44 games.