Nani says football saved him from getting into trouble

Valencia's Portuguese winger Luis Nani says football saved him from "getting into trouble" when he was a child.

"There's no doubt that football saved me from getting into trouble when I was small," the Portuguese international winger said on Monday, according to remarks published by the FIFA official website.

"I'm not going to say I've never done anything wrong. That was normal where I used to live. I got up to some mischief with my friends, childish things, but they led me astray from the right path," Nani observed.

The Portuguese star said he "dropped everything" when the time came to play soccer, on which he focused.

Nani said he wants to show his son where he was and where he started to know that "not everything in life is as easy as it may appear to be now".

The Portuguese winger opined that his life can serve as an example to "teach" children a lot.

On winning the Euro 2016 title, the 29-year-old said this title "is the most important one and the one that means the most because it was with the national team".

Nani spoke about his move to Valencia and acknowledged: "I really wanted to play in Spain and this opportunity arrived at the best time of my life."

"I think I can contribute hard work and a strong mentality that isn't easily shaken. I want to help Valencia a lot and give my all."

--IANS

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