Nani suffered from poor form at the start of the season, rarely started in the team and then disappeared for a couple of months. The reason given later was injury, although there had been plenty of talk of a falling our with the manager.

Since then, Nani has hit some brilliant form, putting in good performances against the likes of Arsenal and City, and is receiving praise from all over the place.

Nani has today confessed that were times when he felt down in the dumps but insists he never wanted to leave.

“I never wanted to go,” he said. “When you are feeling low and things aren’t going well, you do feel alone and there have been times like that. But I never thought about quitting and going back to Portugal. I was in a bad position sometimes and it wasn’t easy to get back up again. Of course, your confidence does suffer on occasions and you get down. But I have shown I don’t get depressed too easily. I am a strong personality. If you are not a strong character then it will drag you down. I am not like that. I am sure I have the quality to be one of the best in the world. I can achieve that.”