Nani has always lingered in an area just outside of the massive spotlight that seems to follow him. At Manchester United, he was a piece of a much larger dynasty, often overshadowed by his superstar teammates and their record-breaking achievements. With Portugal, he was always a sidekick to Cristiano Ronaldo, a player that does tend to command a bit of attention wherever he goes. He never looked at it that way, but it's natural given the names he's played with.
Nani is, in fact, a world-renowned star and there is a certain spotlight that does come with that. Wherever he goes, remnants of his past successes are easy to spot. He's often seen signing Sporting CP or Manchester United jerseys or posing for pictures with fans of his former clubs. He's frequently asked what he thinks of Man Utd's current plight and what the club needs to do to match his glory days at Old Trafford.
"What was sweeter, Nani: winning the Champions League or Euros?" one reporter asks him at a recent MLS media day. He may not have been the player credited with delivering those sorts of achievements, but he's certainly known for the part he played in securing them.
"I just focus on my club," Nani told reporters ahead of his second MLS season. "Obviously, there is much more behind all of this, but I just focus on one thing in my career. I just focus on Orlando, winning games, doing the best for my team, my teammates. Everything around [that], I don't care, with all due respect, because I'm a football player. I need to perform and play just football. The other things, I leave for experts to talk about.
"I just focus on my team, play well and try to help make the team the best in the league and that's it."
Nani admits that last season was a "difficult" one. He struggled to adapt to the travel, and he is far from the first player to need time to adjust to that particular aspect of MLS. He was also playing in a new league with new teammates for a club that was still quite obviously a ways away from contending.
This season, he says, will be different though, simply because he knows what to expect.
"I would like to be the one who leads this team," Nani said. "Everyone could say we are not strong anymore, but it's not about that. It's about the club and the team and building a strong team, a strong club to perform well compared with any team in MLS face to face. We need to work hard. We need to prepare all of the players, all of the staff, everyone around the club and the facility to prepare to understand the mentality and what we need to do.
He added: "Last season, I arrived in a difficult moment because the team was all ready to start playing. I had to be in the middle of them, focal to the games and the season. That's complicated. Now, it's different. I can start from the beginning and that gives me more confidence. For sure, I will be much better."
And he'll have to be. This Orlando team has made a number of changes, as familiar faces like Sacha Kljestan, Will Johnson and Cristian Higuita have moved on. In their place, the club has brought on a series of MLS newcomers, like Colombia U-20 Andres Perea, Peru No. 1 Pedro Gallese and Brazilian veteran Junior Urso. They also made a change at manager, with former FC Dallas boss Oscar Pareja stepping into the role to replace James O'Connor.
That challenge, though, is one Nani is relishing. He's played in massive derbies before and, aside from a few select matches in MLS, that feeling is difficult to replicate in the U.S. A potential Orlando-Inter Miami rivalry is one that could very well blossom into a marquee event. In Europe, you don't often see the development of new rivalries, and that makes this experience a new one even for someone as well-travelled as Nani.
"I'm so excited. I hope we can make this game a big game," he said. "I want our fans to be a piece of our city. I want to see passion in that game, the desire to win. That makes it beautiful. That game, when we play with intensity and show passion, it's beautiful. When you have a team and a rival, it's beautiful."
It's one of several motivating factors for the 33-year-old heading into the season. He wants to be the player that kickstarts a club. He wants to be the man that kickstarts what could just be the next big rivalry. He wants to continue to play at a high level and win trophies, as he has all through his career.
But his big motivator is simple. At this stage of his career, Nani is having fun, even under a new kind of spotlight.
"What I can offer the league is my experience, my quality of football, my passion, the way I see football," Nani said. "Obviously, this league can offer me beautiful stadiums, good atmosphere, great feelings and quality of life. Everything in this country is fantastic. Put it all together and I've been very happy."
He added: "I have this opportunity. I want kids to believe the way I did, sacrifice sometimes because it's not easy to achieve what we want, but when you believe and when you want something and you try as hard as possible, that's my feelings. I will continue to think this way until, I don't know when it's going to be, but I hope it's 20 years from now."