Nani, Nani. Nani, Nani. Hey Hey Hey, Good Buy?

By: Greg | June 4th, 2007

ronani Manchester United swoop for Nani (see him to the left doing his best Cristiano Ronaldo impression) and Anderson. Cristiano Ronaldo sits out of Portugal’s weekend Euro 2008 qualifier with Belgium. Nani steps in for Ronnie and scores the opener. I start, for a few nanoseconds, to rethink my take that Nani was a ho-hum buy by United. I watch the replay and realize that my observations are safe, for now.

Don’t get me wrong, I think Nani’s fantastic. I want him to do well because I care more about the future of the Portuguese national team at this point than any ill effects he may have on my Chels regaining the Premier league title. However, watch the replay of his goal against Belgium.

First off, re-read what I just typed… BELGIUM. Okay, they’re no push over. Stijn Stijnen made some fantastic stops along the way. But, to play in what many argue is the best club league in the world right now, you have to measure yourself against the highest of competition. Belgium is not that. Especially when you consider that the defense looked like cones a recreation league soccer coach sets out for six year olds to run around during practice. He will NOT get this much space to create in the Premier League without making it for himself.

Ronaldo was frustrated at first in the league because he was accustomed to getting more space to work. Once he figured out how to dance in a phone booth, he became double player of the year. This knowledge did not come over night. At this stage, Nani’s an even rougher talent than Ronaldo was and lacks the final gear of speed that Cristiano has.

So, to answer the question that the subject head begs, was this a good buy? From where I’m standing, absolutely. Nani’s not going to have the same immediate impact that Anderson will, but he has at least as much if not more potential for growth as his Brazilian counterpart. This move is a “sealing the future” move, essentially the reverse spending theory of the Galáctico moves of Real Madrid fame. In that sense, the move gets an A- (I still can’t help but feel Nani is more of a Spanish Liga player than a Premier League-style winger). The nature of the move should instill faith in the ManU(re), sorry Nick, faithful that the team is spending on talent not only for the here and now, but for years to come.