SOMETIMES, it only takes one unexpected incident to turn a tournament for a team. It can be the same for players too.
So perhaps if Ricardo Quaresma had not strained a right thigh muscle in the build-up to Euro 2016, Portugal may not now be in the final. Surely, they would have travelled to Paris a different way.
Despite the special contribution of Cristiano Ronaldo in their semi-final win over Wales, Portugal’s player of the tournament has been his old Manchester United team-mate Luis Nani.
Yet Nani would not have been in Fernando Santos’ team for the opener against Iceland had Quaresma not fallen lame. So he would not have scored his team’s goal in that game or in the 3-3 draw against Hungary, or set up his team’s extra-time winner in the last 16 against Croatia.
And so it goes on, all the way to the goal he scored against Wales.
‘Yes, Nani has been an influence for the Portuguese team in each game,’ said Santos. ‘When we look back at this competition, we will talk about all the players but maybe Nani sometimes more.’
In England, Nani’s reputation remains mixed. Some remember spectacular contributions against Arsenal, Tottenham, Liverpool and Middlesbrough.
More, however, reflect on several seasons of inconsistency after Sir Alex Ferguson signed him for £17million from Sporting Lisbon.
Most damaging were lingering, if unproven, suspicions of a questionable attitude.
Stoke City manager Mark Hughes recently considered a move for Nani prior to last week’s transfer from Fenerbahce to Valencia but withdrew his interest once a member of his coaching staff asked a few questions to contacts in the UK and Europe.
In Portugal, Nani’s stock remains high. During a loan spell back at Sporting prior to his move from United to Turkey, Nani helped his formative club to a third-place league finish and a Portuguese Cup win, the club’s first trophy in seven years.
Suggestions from the media in Portugal that a resentment exists between Nani and Ronaldo are not backed up by footage of them celebrating together after Ronaldo’s mishit shot allowed Nani to score against the Welsh.
Coincidentally, Ronaldo’s big mate in the Portuguese camp is Quaresma. Reduced by Nani’s form to the role of impact sub, fit-again Quaresma has contributed, most notably the late winner against Croatia.
But Nani’s form means his friend will again be on the bench for Sunday’s final.– Daily Mail