With good friend and winger Nani ruled out due to injury, Ronaldo has his task cut out
Withu00a0good friend and winger Nani ruled out due to injury, Ronaldo has his task cut out
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Ronaldo and Nani ufffd two natural wingers ufffd play on the flanks for Portugal. The two, are among the most gifted players in the Portugal squad and were expected to spearhead their team's attack.
Nani's absence will naturally make it easier for Portugal's opponents to mark Ronaldo. Nani acted as a perfect foil for the Real Madrid star as he could exploit with devastating effect the width and space granted to him as the opposition defenders concentrated all their energies in trying to stop Ronaldo.
The best proof of their flourishing partnership was in the 2007-08 season when Nani's arrival at Man United saw the now world's costliest player embark on a season where he scored 42 goals for his club in all competitions. Subsequently the Portuguese ace was named the World Footballer of the Year.
Nani-Ronaldo combo
Nani's presence and influence during the seasonu00a0cannot be counted out as he also made 41 appearances for the Red Devils that season. And, it is no surprise that it was Ronaldo who recommended Nani to Manchester United boss, Alex Ferguson.
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Ronaldo said when he left Manchester United for Real Madrid: "He (Nani) will show the fans how great a player he is. There is a lot more to come from him and I am sure that in a few years he will be among the best players in the world."
The most recent example of the two combining was seen just last week in the 3-2 win against Cameroon as the two combined beautifully with Nani netting in Portugal's second goal of the game. Nani controlled Ronaldo's ball and lobbed over goalkeeper, Carlos Kameni's head into the goal.
Nani, known for scoring spectacular goals, has scored four times in 34 games for his country to date ufffd including three during qualifying for the current World Cup. He suffered the injury, which caused bruising, while training on Friday and he will now be replaced by Ruben Amorim of Benfica.
Portugal are paired in the Group of Death with Brazil, Ivory Coast and North Korea in the World Cup finals which gets underway on Friday.
The duo enjoy a great chemistry and it's no secret that Nani admires his famous countryman a lot. The two have been teammates at Sporting Lisbon, Manchester United and in the Portuguese national team as well and have had considerable success together.
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