ORLANDO, Fla. — Friday night marked the return of one of Orlando City's best players in club history.Â
Nani, who suited up for the Lions from 2019-2021, played his first game at Exploria Stadium since Halloween night of 2021.Â
The former Lions captain played in 88 games in purple, scoring 31 goals and adding 26 assists, helping get Orlando to their first ever MLS Cup Playoffs back in 2020.Â
This time around, playing alongside legends of the game like Roberto Carlos, Ronaldinho, Vinicius Jr, Nani got to show off his skills and tricks that made him a fan favorite for the Lions faithful for the three seasons he took the pitch in Orlando.
"It was amazing," Nani said on his return to Orlando. "It's always good to go back home. I was feeling great, a little bit emotional to be here at this club because it's a club where I had so many beautiful moments. I believe a lot of the [City] fans were here. I heard my name in the stands, so that was a really exciting moment for me. I enjoyed a lot. It's always special to be back home."
While the former Lion didn't get on the scoresheet in the seven-goal thriller, he still enjoyed putting on a show for the fans and making the night a memorable one for all that came out. Â
"The name of the game is The Beautiful Game so you need to do beautiful things," he said. "And just the special players who've got the skills who can do it, so I had to put some performance on the field. The fans here, some of them know me very well from the time I was here, so I had to perform. I had to show something to make them excited to remember the good times (when) I was here, so that's what it's all about."
