Orlando City legend Luís Nani has today announced a shock return to professional football by agreeing a one-year contract with FC Aktobe, who compete in the Kazakhstan Premier League.
This move comes just over a year since the 39-year-old initially retired from the game after spending six months back in his native Portugal with his hometown club, Estrela da Amadora.
Nani's deal in Kazakhstan also involves an expanded role within the club's development project.
"I’m very happy to have joined FC Aktobe and I am looking forward to contributing to the development of the club and football in Kazakhstan," he said on social media. "I was very impressed with the club’s vision for the future and will work hard to take us to new heights, at home and abroad!"
Nani joined Orlando on a three-year deal back in 2019 following a trophy-laden third stint at Portuguese giants Sporting CP, and took no time establishing himself as a fan-favourite in Central Florida.
His first goals in purple came in a dramatic 4-3 win over Colorado Rapids in April that year, converting an 89th-minute penalty to grab the winner and secure Orlando's first win of the season.
Despite a prolific return that debut year, though, Orlando once again failed to break the glass ceiling and qualify for the play-offs for the very first time. But the best was soon to come.
On this day in 2019, Nani scored his first, and second, goal for the club as we beat Colorado 4-3 💥@luisnani | #VamosOrlando pic.twitter.com/6d4yKNck18
— Orlando City SC (@OrlandoCitySC) April 6, 2024
An otherwise bleak time to be alive, 2020 was the year that Orlando finally established themselves as a force to be reckoned with in Major League Soccer. And Nani played a huge part in that culture shift.
Netting a brace over Minnesota United to send us through to the final of the MLS is Back Tournament - our proudest achievement as a club for some time - he was also the star man in the team that broke its play-off duck, and went one better by defeating New York City FC on penalties in our first-ever post-season appearance.
Nani's time in Orlando came to an end in 2021 having totalled 31 goals in 88 appearances across all competitions, but he still had enough left in the tank to represent four more clubs in the same number of countries before calling an initial end to his illustrious career in 2024.