GiveMeSport
·27 June 2023
GiveMeSport
·27 June 2023
Jamie Carragher revealed Wayne Rooney’s comment to him after Nani famously cried during a heated Premier League clash between Liverpool and Manchester United in 2011.
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Nani was forced off on a stretcher following one particularly infamous tackle by Carragher during the closing months of the 2010-11 campaign.
The Portuguese winger was left with a nasty gash on his leg and was seen in floods of tears due to the pain caused by Carragher’s challenge.
In March 2023, Patrice Evra revealed how Paul Scholes and Sir Alex Ferguson reacted to Nani’s tears.
Evra was asked about the incident again while appearing at Wembley Arena for The Overlap on Tour, alongside Gary Neville, Roy Keane and Carragher.
Host Kelly Cates said to the Frenchman: “Do you remember when Jamie made Nani cry?”
Evra replied: “Oh, my God! This was a nasty tackle. Nani was on the floor. Then I remember we came and we were fighting, there was Steven Gerrard, ‘Carra, you’re crazy, you nearly broke his leg’.
“And I remember Paul Scholes came, and we were all fighting with the Liverpool players, when he saw Nani cry, he said: “F*** off”.
Carragher then revealed how Rooney, United’s talisman at the time, reacted.
The Liverpool legend told the audience: “Obviously Wayne Rooney was playing for Man United at the time - a known Scouser.
“The Man United and Liverpool players are all fighting and I’m trying to stay out the way. Rooney came up to me, and he went: “You won’t believe it, he’s f***ing crying!”
Carragher made the audience burst out laughing, while even former Man Utd captain Neville couldn’t resist cracking up.
At the end of the clip, Evra looked down the camera and said: “Sorry, Nani!”
Nani did receive plenty of stick at the time (seemingly from his own teammates and manager, too) for going to ground too easily on occasions.
That may explain the lack of sympathy that was shown towards him after what was undeniably a terrible tackle by Carragher.
"When I saw my leg for the first time, I thought my season was finished," Nani told reporters, per The Guardian, following the incident. "That is why I was crying."
"Afterwards, the doctor saw my leg and said I had been lucky because it just needed stitches and I would be out for two or three weeks. He is surprised that I could recover even quicker."
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