Sir Alex Ferguson reunites with Man Utd cult hero, 38, on Portugal holiday just days after star retired from football
SIR Alex Ferguson got together with Manchester United cult hero Nani while on holiday in Portugal.
The meet-up happened 10 days after the 38-year-old announced his retirement from professional football shortly after the death of his dad.
Ex-United winger Nani shared pictures of Ferguson joining him over breakfast on Wednesday.
Both were dressed smart for the occasion as they enjoyed a food spread of toast, cake and coffee in the sunshine.
Nani wrote: “Delicious breakfast – this time in Portugal – with the great and special company of Sir Alex Ferguson.
“Amazing time, great memories. See you again soon, Boss .”
United re-posted the former Portugal international’s X post and wrote: “Things you love to see.”
And fans loved to see the Prem legends reunite after all these years.
One wrote: “Nani and Fergie are looking sharp!”, while a second said: “Time flies, we miss you both .”
Another noticed: “Ferguson looks so healthy and happy, brilliant to see.”
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Nani announced his formal retirement from football on December 8.
The wideman’s announcement was a surprise given he was playing in his homeland in the top flight for Estrella Amadora.
Although the club are in a relegation battle, Nani had appeared 10 times this season and was considered a first team regular.
Part of Nani’s decision to retire, he revealed in his post, was down to the recent passing of his father.
That tragedy forced him to contemplate his future – vowing to spend more with his family.
He said: “I want to make the most of my time with my children, my wife, my mother, my siblings, cousins, uncles and aunts.
“They also need me, and I need to be with them which is very important.”
Nani joined the Red Devils in 2007, just two years after making his senior debut for Sporting Lisbon.
He spent eight years at United, where he won four Premier League titles, the 2008 Champions League and two League Cups under the tutelage of Ferguson.
Nani turned out 230 times, scoring 40 goals.
Ferguson and Nani once lived NEXT DOOR to each other in Wilmslow, Manchester.
In fact, Nani used to drive Ferguson to and from the team meeting points for games.
He previously revealed that Ferguson gave him the silent treatment in an uncomfortable car journey after he took a penalty off Ryan Giggs and missed.
https://twitter.com/luisnani/status/1865834523143131547?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1865834523143131547%7Ctwgr%5Ecf8fb05823d7ddc3119f348c85bbf004b2c009bf%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thesun.co.uk%2Fsport%2F32187811%2Fman-utd-icon-nani-retires-dad-death%2FNani told United team-mate Rio Ferdinand’s Vibe with Five YouTube channel: “Giggs was there with the ball, I pulled Giggs aside, took the ball and I missed the penalty. My goodness.
“It finished 2-2 and it was supposed to finish 3-2 for us with that penalty. We came inside the dressing room and straight away, first of all he kills Giggsy saying ‘Giggsy, with your experience, what the hell are you doing?’
“Giggsy was like ‘he wanted to take the penalty, I let him take it’. And then he finished with Giggsy, turns to me. ‘Nani! You’re never going to take a penalty again!’
“And then we went home. We arrived in Macclesfield and the gaffer lives next to me.
“He was asking ‘anyone live in Wilmslow?’ I was looking round like ‘I don’t want to take him!’
“Someone said ‘Nani you live in Wilmslow, yeah? Can you take the boss?’
“So I took him in my car and for at least two minutes we were just looking straight, we don’t talk.
“And then I said ‘boss, sorry for the penalty’. He was like ‘no son, it’s okay. You should take it a little bit stronger, in the corner’. And when he said that… ahhh.”
Nani also helped his country win the Euros in 2016 alongside fellow United alumni Cristiano Ronaldo.
The ex-Portugal international will continue to remain associated with football after his retirement.
He will work on projects such as the Nani Football Academy in Fernao Ferro.
The former Prem star also owns a minority stake in the Portuguese lower-division club Sintrense SAD.
In 2015, he returned to Portugal on loan with Sporting.
Then spells at Fenerbahce, Valencia, Lazio, Sporting again, Orlando City, Venezia, Melbourne Victory, Adana Demirspor followed.
Inside Man Utd chaos with Dan Ashworth axed just five months into job
By Neil Custis
The blame game has another victim as things go from bad to worse at Old Trafford.
Manchester United’s first sporting director, Dan Ashworth, arrived in the summer and is gone before Christmas.
SunSport exclusively revealed in November that there was trouble at mill.
That the new senior management team were already blaming each other for the mess the club were in.
Chief executive Omar Berrada and Ashworth were trying to wash their hands of it all, claiming they had arrived too late after serving their gardening leave.
New part owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe said making decisions was all down to them.
Meanwhile, Jason Wilcox thought it was all a mess under previous boss Erik ten Hag but was part of the team that encouraged him to stay after every other candidate ran for cover.
Defeat Nottingham Forest in December, after their second-half capitulation at Arsenal a few days previously, proved too much.